The Green Canary?
by Aria DiLaurentis
Summary: Sara Lance was found after spending five years on an island. She finds it hard to adjust to life back home but what she has the most trouble with is her growing attraction to the sister of the man she left with. Sara/Thea
1. Chapter 1

My name is Sara Lance. Five years ago, I went on a boat with my sister's boyfriend and his father. Everything was different then. I was just a spoiled girl. The boat crashed and I made it to an island called Lian Yu, which the Chinese also called Purgatory. I saw a boat coming and I knew it was time to leave. It was my chance to finally get off the island. I created a fire, hoping that it would get noticed before I ran to the shore. I had dreamt of my rescue for every night since I had been lost. For those five years, I had only one thought: survive. The men who found me were Chinese, but they seemed to be noblemen. I would have been able to fight if I needed to. I had forged myself into a weapon. I'm returning not as the girl who was shipwrecked, but as the woman who will bring justice to those who have poisoned my city.

I was first taken to a Chinese hospital before I was to be returned home. I then returned home. Needless to say, my rescue was big news. I could have been bigger considering that I wasn't the most important person on the ship. I was taken to another hospital once I got home. I wasn't sure if it was because they didn't trust the Chinese. Actually, that was probably it.

"20 percent of her body is covered in scar tissue and 2nd degree burns." The doctor told my father. "The X-rays show at least 12 fractures that never properly healed.

"Did she say anything about what happened?" He asked.

"No. She's barely said anything at all." The doctor replied. "Detective, you need to prepare yourself. The Sara you lost might not be the one they found."

At that point, he walked into the room.

"Sara?" He asked. I turned to face him.

"Hi Daddy." I remarked before he walked over and hugged me.

"Oh, my baby girl." He cried. I cried a little as well. I had stronger control of my emotions, but I couldn't help it. "Let's go home."

It didn't take me long to figure out that my family had fallen apart. We used to be happy: my father, mother, and sister. We had a big house. Now all that was my father's one-bedroom apartment. My parents had divorced and I doubted that my sister even wanted to see me because of what I did to her. It wasn't my fault that Oliver got killed, but I assumed that she would blame me.

"So, I uh don't really have much room here." He admitted. "I can sleep on the couch if you want."

"You don't have to do that, Dad." I replied. He started to clean up a little. There were beer bottles all over the floor along other trash.

"What do you want to do for dinner? I can get us some Big Belly Burger. It's probably been forever since you had a decent meal." He stated.

"Can we see the Queens?" I asked. He looked at me in surprise. "Can we possibly have dinner with them? I really want to talk to them about what happened."

"Normally, I wouldn't want to be involved with that family, but I suppose that since your back, maybe we can repair some bridges." He stated.

From there, he took me to the Queen Mansion, which honestly looked kind of like a castle. I was nervous about talking to them. I was surprised that the first thing that happened when I walked in the door was Mrs. Queen wrapping her arms around me.

"It's good to see you, Sara." She remarked.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Queen." I stated.

"Oh, Dear, it's not your fault." She told me. I then noticed a black man standing beside her. "This is Walter Steele. He was an associate of Robert and my new husband."

I then heard some footsteps.

"Mom, is someone here?" A voice asked. I looked to the top of the stairs and I saw Thea Queen. She was Oliver's little sister. She had been a kid when I left, but now she was a beautiful young woman. I could tell that she was surprised to me. "Sara."

"It's good to see you, Thea." I told her as I gave her a bit of an awkward hug. I wasn't sure if it was ironic that I was seeing Oliver's sister before my own, but I was never good at English. "Do you mind if I go wash up?"

"Not at all." Mrs. Queen declared.

I washed my face and looked in the mirror. I hardly even recognized myself despite the fact that I pretty much looked the same. I did have a lot more scars on my body.

I thought back to the night that everything changed.

 _It was raining hard. I was in my robe and underwear. I walked out into the hall or whatever it was called to find him._

" _Ollie?" I asked as I noticed that we were not alone. I blushed and closed my robe. "Where do you keep the bottle opener on this thing?"_

" _I'll be there in a minute, Sara." He said before I retreated to the room._

I then went back downstairs and found that I wasn't the only guest in the house. He was Tommy Merlyn, Oliver's best friend.

"I told Ollie boats suck, but no one listens." He commented. He was apparently trying to compensate with humor. He then gave me a hug. I probably shouldn't have been surprised by all of the hugs that I was getting. These were people that I hadn't seen in five years.

"I missed you, Tommy." I told him. From there we went to dinner.

"Let's see what did you miss?" Tommy replied. "World Series winners: Red Sox, Phillies, Yankees, Giants, Cardinals. Five straight guys won American Idol and there's some new Pokémon games. Ninetales has Drought now."

I did want to check that out. I missed Pokémon. My dad never understood why I liked it but I thought that they were cute and cool. My favorite was Weavile which both cute and cool.

"What was it like on that island?" Thea asked. I could see everyone was looking at me at that point.

"Cold…and lonely." I explained.

"Tomorrow I'm taking you into the city." Tommy declared.

"Maybe I could check out the precinct." I suggested. Being a cop could be a good cover, and there was a time when I did want to be a cop like my dad. I hadn't since I was 12, but that wasn't the point.

"You know tomorrow might not be the best time." Dad declared. At that time, the maid tripped. I managed to catch her.

"I am so sorry, Miss Sara." She apologized. She was Russian. I then spoke her in Russian myself.

"You speak Russian?" Tommy asked.

"You didn't tell me that." Dad added. "Did you learn it in school?'

"I learned it from Russian porn." I joked. I then realized no one was laughing. "I'm kidding. You know I am feeling full. Do you think that we can go home now, Daddy?"

That night, I slept on the floor while I dreamed about what happened.

" _One, two, three. It's getting closer." I said as I heard a thunderclap. We both had wine in our hands._

" _That's not very scientific." Ollie pointed out as he took a seat next to me._

" _Since when does Mr. Ivy League Dropout know anything about science?" I quipped._

" _I know a lot about science. I'm great at Biology and Anatomy." He declared before he kissed me._

" _Laurel is so going to kill me." I stated as I put my glass down and got on my back. I was ready to be taken._

" _Your sister will never know." He promised. I would imagine that she found out pretty fast. At that point, there was more thunder._

" _Now that one was really close." I remarked after jumping a little._

" _Sara, we'll be fine." He remarked before he kissed me again. At that point, the boat tipped over and we both fell out into the water._

" _Ollie! Ollie!" I yelled. We must have been separated._

" _Sara." Mr. Queen replied as he helped me onto a raft. He was with the first mate. I probably wasn't who he wanted to find._

" _We have to go back. He's your son!" I shouted._

" _I know but we have no idea where he is. We have to get to safety." He stated. "I can't save him."_

"Sara! Sara!" Dad replied before I felt a shake. Instinct took over and I pinned him to the ground. I then noticed what I had done and got off of him. I couldn't believe that I had attacked him.

"I'm sorry, Daddy." I cried. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay, Baby." He replied. "I don't know what you were dreaming about but you're home now. I'm here with you."

The following day while he was at work, I decided to open my trunk. Inside was a book and an arrowhead. I knew that I needed to give it to one person.

I went to the door and opened it to go meet Tommy.

"So, have you noticed how hot Oliver's sister is?" He asked. I glared at him. "Not that I'm into underage girls or anything."

As I rode in his sports car, I couldn't help but notice him talking about my funeral and Oliver's funeral…mostly Oliver's funeral. I personally thought he would be sadder about his best friend dying.

"Did you have sex at Oliver's funeral?" I questioned.

"I couldn't help it. Everyone was so sad and vulnerable." He declared. "I'm also counting on a target rich environment for your welcome home party."

"My what now?" I asked in surprised.

"Sara, you came back from the dead. If anything is worth celebrating, it's this." He challenged. "Just give me a time and place and I will make it happen."

We then stopped at a stop sign. It was at that time that I noticed that we were in the Glades, the poor part of town.

"This city has gone to crap. Why did you want to drive through here anyway?" He asked.

"No reason." I answered as I looked at the old Queen steel factory.

"So, what should we see first?" He questioned.

"Laurel." I replied.

"Everyone in town is glad you're alive." He commented. "Why do you want to see the one person who isn't?"

"Because she's my sister." I pointed out.

I went to my sister's office. I began to read her board. I decided to wait for her instead of asking someone to get her. I didn't know how our first meeting would go. I wasn't sure what to say to her. She looked at me and it was like my mind went blank.

"Hi, Sis." I greeted her. I almost expected her to slap me in the middle of the office.

Instead, we went to get hot dogs. At least she accepted my offer to talk.

"So, you finally went to law school." I commented.

"Yeah, Mom and Dad are proud." She replied.

"So, I saw you were suing Adam Hunt. Are you sure you should do that?" I questioned.

"You've been gone five years and you want to talk about Adam Hunt?" She asked.

"No. I just don't know what to talk about," I admitted. "Okay, I do have something."

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the hosen.

"This is a hosen. In Buddhism, it symbolizes reconnecting. I thought it would help me reconnect with you." I explained.

"You want to reconnect? Well how about we talk about how you slept with my boyfriend who knows how many times and even got on a boat with him without telling me and almost got yourself killed. We buried an empty coffin, Sara. I couldn't be angry because you were dead, but I can be angry now. Maybe you should be in that coffin."

"I'm really sorry." I apologized. I couldn't help but feel hurt. I wished that she had slapped me because it would hurt less.

I then met up with Tommy.

"So, now you've seen Laurel. You can cross that off your list." He commented as we started to walk through an alley.

Suddenly, some men in masks appeared and tranquilized us. I managed to stay conscious long enough to see them kill a store owner.

 _I was on the raft. It was very cold. Mr. Queen had wrapped his coat around me. In retrospect, trying to have sex on a boat wasn't the best idea. He gave me the water._

" _What are you doing?" The first mate asked. "That's all we got."_

" _If anyone's getting out of here, it's going to be her." Mr. Queen said. "I'm sorry this happened to you. I thought I'd be able to tell Oliver, but I'm not a good man. I didn't build our city. I failed it and I wasn't the only one."_

"Miss Lance? Miss Lance?" One of the thugs asked. He was holding a taser. My hands were tied to a chair and Tommy was still unconscious. "Did Mr. Queen survive that accident? I ask the questions. You give me the answers."

I said nothing and as of a result, I got a shock to the chest.

"Did he make it to the island? Did he tell you anything?" He continued. I still said nothing and got shocked again.

"He did tell me something." I declared.

"What did he tell you, Miss Lance?" The creep inquired.

"He told me to kill you." I replied. They started to chuckle before I showed my freed hands.

They took out their guns and a fight broke out. I used the chair and the taser as weapons and also used one of the guns as a shield. I first checked to make sure Tommy was still breathing. After finding out that he was, I chased after the man. I followed him onto the roof as he missed several shots. I finally made my way over to him and grabbed him by the neck.

"You killed that store owner." I declared.

"You don't have to do this." He choked.

"Yes, I do. Nobody can know my secret." I argued before I broke his neck and left him there.

From there, Tommy and I went to the precinct to talk to my dad and his partner Lucas Hilton.

"So, that's your story? A girl in a green hood flew in killed your kidnappers?" Hilton asked. "Who was she and why would she do that?"

"I don't know. She was probably just a Good Samaritan." I replied. "If I see her again, I'll let you know."

"What about you?" Hilton responded, looking at Tommy. "Did you see the hood girl?"

"I was barely conscious. I barely saw anything." Tommy explained. I was glad that I didn't have to talk to him about it.

"You know it's interesting that you've been back one day and you're already causing trouble again." Hilton remarked. I had been arrested a few times when I was younger, but never charged for obvious reasons.

"Luke, how about you just let me handle this." Dad declared. "It looks like these guys were professionals, but everyone is safe at least for now. You're free to go, Mr. Merlyn."

Hilton and Tommy left and he gave me a hug.

"You know I usually don't like it when people do my job for me, but I might want to thank this girl." He told me. "What were you even doing out there?"

"I was visiting Laurel." I explained. "I'm pretty sure that she hates me."

"Your sister doesn't hate you." He argued.

"She told me that she wished that I was dead." I pointed out.

"Well give her some time. You know she didn't mean that." He stated. I hoped that he was right. "We will need to do something."

At that point, I had Tommy take me home. I got on the computer and began to do the research on Adam Hunt. I saw his name was on Mr. Queen's list. It was kind of lonely eating alone, but I didn't mind it because I had gotten used to it.

The following morning, my dad told me that he had a surprise for me. The surprise apparently involved going back to the Queen house.

"What are we doing here, Daddy?" I asked.

"I think that with what happened yesterday, it would be nice for you to stay in a place that is more security and it has a lot more space. The Queens have graciously agreed to take you in." He stated. "At least we can do it for now."

We walked inside of the house and I found Mrs. Queen, Mr. Steele, and another man.

"Sara, we'll do whatever we can to make you feel at home." Mr. Steele said. I hoped that they didn't want me to stay in Oliver's old room.

"Well I would love to get acquainted, but I actually wanted to go out today." I explained.

"That's why he's here." Mrs. Queen declared. "This is John Diggle. Your father and I thought it would be a good idea to have someone accompany you whenever you went out at least until we know that no one is coming after you."

I sighed. There was no way out of it, especially since I couldn't get a driver's license while I was legally dead.

"I don't need a babysitter." I told her.

"Darling, Detective, Sara is a grown woman and if she feels doesn't need accompaniment, she shouldn't have to." Mr. Steele interjected.

"Mr. Steele, with all due respect, I didn't ask your opinion." Dad pointed out. "Now, this is non-negotiable. You're either going to have Mr. Diggle or a police escort."

I got in the back of his car. It felt weird. We were well off when my mom was around, but we never had as much money as the Queens.

"So, what should I call you?" I asked once we were on the road.

"Diggle will work or possibly Dig." He answered.

"Were you in the military?" I questioned.

"Yes Ma'am." He replied before he explained about his division or whatever it was called. "I don't want there to be in any confusion, Miss Lance…"

At that point, I opened the door and jumped out of the car. I had somewhere I needed to be and I wasn't going to let anyone stop me.

I headed down to the old factory. I scaled the fence and went inside. It was a mess. Getting kidnapped was unexpected. It forced me to move ahead with my plan sooner than I wanted. I was telling the truth about the girl in the hood. I just was not wearing the hood at the time. I got to work on setting everything up. Within an hour, I had power and computers set up. I started to sharpen my arrows. I also started to work out on the salmon ladder. It had been a few days since I had gotten a good workout in. Once I was done with that, I took out my bow and started to shoot. I killed a lot of good tennis balls.

I then began to do more research on Adam Hunt. He was one of Starling City's worst. He was notorious for bullying, bribing, or killing people who tried to bring him to justice. Fortunately, he hadn't met me yet.

I put on my costume: a green dress with a green hood with black tights and with green gloves and boots with green face paint around my eyes. I headed down to one of his buildings. My target was him and I wanted to be alone with him. I grabbed him out of his car and aimed at his face.

"Hey! Just tell me what you want." He replied. I grabbed him and held him up.

"You're going to transfer 40 million into this bank account by 10:00 pm tomorrow or I'm going to take it and you won't like how I do that." I explained.

"If I see you again, you're dead!" He threatened. I responded by shooting an arrow through his windshield and running away. People may wonder why I didn't just kill him. I wanted to give him a chance to do what was right first. I had a feeling he wouldn't.

The following night, I was preparing to go to my party. I was in a black dress and heels. I opened the car door to see Diggle seated in the backseat.

"Put on your seatbelt, Ma'am." He instructed. I actually had planned on going to the party. "You wouldn't want to miss your own party."

As I prepared to make my entrance, I checked the time on my phone. It was 9:07 and nothing had been done yet. I made my way down the stairs and the music stopped and Tommy appeared.

"Everyone, this woman of the hour has arrived." He remarked. "Now everyone give this woman a proper homecoming."

I was immediately treated to some shots.

"I missed tequila!" I shouted.

I then went away with Tommy.

"So, if my calculations are correct, you haven't had sex in a long time." He said. "Now I don't know if your tastes are the same, so there are both guys and girls here. Now I would personally recommend Carmen Golden. She's the one that looks like the chick from _Twilight."_

"They made a movie of _Twilight?"_ I asked.

"Yes, and don't ever see it." He responded. At that moment, I caught something that shouldn't be happening. I walked over.

"Hey, Thea." I greeted her.

"Sara, it's great to see you." She responded as she wrapped her arm around me.

"How did you get in here?" I asked.

"I believe someone said right this way, Miss Queen." She quipped.

"You know you shouldn't be here." I explained. "You're underage and this is not the place for you."

"Sara, you don't have a right to judge me. You were just like me when you were my age." She pointed out. I wished that wasn't true. "Plus, I got the final confirmation that my brother is dead. My father is dead. You are not my sister, so leave me alone."

She walked away but I had already taken the substance and threw it in the trash. I noticed Diggle was still watching me. I started to walk away before I ran into someone and to my surprise, it was Laurel.

"You're here." I noted.

"Dad said he didn't like how I handled our talk which I guess you told him about." She explained. "Can we possibly talk somewhere quiet?"

I took her out into the hallway.

"I'm sorry for saying that I wished you were dead." She declared. "That was wrong with me."

"Well I'm sorry for going on the trip and having sex with your boyfriend many, many times." I countered.

"About Oliver? There's something that I've been afraid to ask." She remarked. "Did he suffer?"

Well considering that he probably drowned, I would say that he suffered a lot.

"No." I lied.

"I think about him every day." She admitted. I wasn't sure if it was appropriate for me to say I did too. "You know I never thought I'd say this, but if you ever want to talk, I'm available."

At that point, I noticed my phone ring was ringing inside of my bra. It was 10:00 and Hunt hadn't deposited the money.

"Is something wrong?" She inquired.

"I asked someone to do something and they didn't do it." I answered. "Laurel, maybe we should keep our distance for a little longer. Let yourself be mad at me. I would be if you did the same thing to me. We can talk about reconciling later. Now I need to go."

I decided to try to go out through the kitchen. Unfortunately, Diggle followed me.

"Is there something I can help with, Ma'am?" He asked.

"I just needed some air." I remarked. "I'm still not used to crowded spaces."

"I'd believe you if you weren't so anxious to get away." He replied. "Party is this way."

It looked like I would have to escape the hard way. I made my way into the building and another fight broke out with more people shooting at me. It was like they didn't know how to shoot at all. It was too easy. After a few minutes, I made my escape. I headed out the window and down the zipline I had set up.

I got changed in a hurry to get back to the party. I wasn't surprised that the cops showed up.

"Starling City Police. The party is over." Hilton declared.

"What's going on, Daddy?" I asked my father.

"There was an incident at Adam Hunt's building just now." He explained.

"Who's Adam Hunt?" I questioned.

"It doesn't matter. What matters is your hood girl was there." Hilton declared.

"The girl in the hood? You wanna find her? I'll offer a reward." I replied. "Hey Everyone! The police are looking for a girl in a hood. Anyone who finds her gets to make out with me!"

"Let's go, Luke. It doesn't look like she's here." Dad said before they made their exit.

"Okay, let's get this party started back up." I shouted.

The following morning, I went and got to work on the transferring. I used a special arrow that could hack into his bank account and was using it to pay off his victims. I then crossed his name off the list. There were many more, but at least I had won for now.

 _It was morning when we made it somewhere. Mr. Queen was huddled close to me for warmth._

" _There's not enough for all of us." He declared._

" _You can survive, this, Sara. You can fix things." He replied. "But you have to live through this. He then did something unexpected. He took a gun and shot the first mate into the water and then he shot himself in the head._

I had changed and everyone on the list would wish that I had died on the island or never even made it to begin with. I was coming for them.

So I have written something again. I wanted to explore Thea and Sara again. Rather than rewrite Red, I decided to do a Sara as Arrow story. Also in this story Lucas is played by Terry Crews. Please don't forget to review


	2. Honor Thy Father

The day that I went missing was the day that I died. I spent five years in hell which forged my body into a weapon: a weapon I used to honor the promise I made to the man who saved my life at the cost of his own. In his last moments, he told me that his family's wealth had been built on the suffering of others. He had failed our city and he wanted me to save it and right his wrongs. However, in order to not hurt the people closest to me, I would have to be someone else. I would have to be something else.

I was currently busy fighting off some men on a rooftop. Apparently, they had no problem hitting a woman, if any of them had been able to land a hit, that is. I then found my target: Marcus Redmond.

I kicked open an air conditioner and held his head towards the spinning fan.

"No, please." He begged.

"Marcus Redmond, you've failed this city." I told him. He continued to cry. "Call your partner and tell him to give those people back their money."

The following day, I walked into the Queens' living wearing a sophisticated black dress. I was going to the court house. There I would be meeting my father. On the TV was a report confirming that Redmond had done what I asked. They showed a drawing on me.

"This girl gets more airtime than a Kardashian." I quipped.

"What's sad is that it's been five years and they're still around." Thea says.

"Well it takes a while for culture to improve. At least we don't hear about Donald Trump anymore." I responded.

"You know people used to feel safe in this city." Mrs. Queen declared. I wasn't going to hurt her.

"What's wrong, Mom? Afraid we're next?" Thea asked.

"Do you have any questions about today, Sara?" Mr. Steele questioned. It probably was a good idea to change the subject. "It's just a simple proof of life declaration. Just read a prepared state and your death and absence of judgment will be voided."

"I can do." I declared. I had been in a courtroom before, Okay, so I had never been charged with anything due to my father, but I had jury duty once. That had to count.

"Going to jury duty doesn't count." Tommy interrupted. "I've been a few times though."

"We don't need to hear about those, Tommy." Thea said. She seemed to have developed a snarky sense of humor.

"I'd love to hang out but we're going to court." I remarked.

"I know that's why I'm here." He replied. "You're coming back to life. I wouldn't miss this for the world."

"What about you?" I asked Thea. I noticed that she seemed to be dressed pretty casually if she was going to court.

"Yeah, going to court for my brother was enough." She stated. That was when I got it. She didn't want to hear me talk about him.

"Mrs. Queen, the car's ready." Diggle interrupted before we all headed out.

As soon as I arrived at the courthouse, I was flooded with reporters. Apparently being connected to one of the most influential families in Starling City made me a celebrity. All I did was give me flashbacks of the crash.

"There was a storm." I declared. "The boat went down. As far as I know, I was the only survivor. None of the other passengers made it. I almost died. I thought that I was dead because all of the hell that I went through. When I reached the island, I knew that I was going to have to live for everyone, to make sure that the men who died would be remembered. In those five years, it was that desire along with the desire to see my family again that kept me going."

I didn't expect that to be so hard.

"Your honor, we wish to annul the death of Sara Lance filed five years ago." The lawyer said. "Unfortunately, we cannot request that the deaths of Oliver or Robert Queen will be overturned. It seems only one family was allowed a miracle in this case."

I didn't know why she had to say that. It seemed tactless to me. We knew they were dead. From there, I met up with my dad.

"So, maybe we can head down to the precinct now." Dad suggested.

"Daddy, that was kind of heavy." I remarked. "Can we do it tomorrow?"

"You know you don't have to be a cop just because I am." He said. "I'm sure the Queens would give you a job…with their company I mean."

He then walked away. He probably had to get back to work or something. Cops didn't get a lot of time off.

"Last week, you couldn't wait to go to the precinct." Tommy pointed out.

"Tommy, I was five years away from civilization. I wasn't thinking straight." I argued.

At that point, I came across Laurel. She was with her partner and some other girl that I had never seen before.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"She was being brought to life." Tommy said. "You should have been there."

"I was busy doing my job." She replied.

"It's more like the DA's." Her partner said. I could not remember her name. I probably shouldn't tell her that.

"Hi, I'm Sara Lance," I greeted as I shook the short blonde woman's hand.

"Emily Nocenti." She reciprocated.

"Sara just got back from five years on an island. Before that she was fucking my boyfriend. She was with him when he died. She said that she wanted to keep her distance. I think it was good advice that everyone should follow."

With that Laurel walked away.

"It was nice to meet you." Emily said before followed her.

We went outside where we saw Martin Somers talking to reporters. I wondered how long it would be until turned their attention to me. The answer was as soon as they were done. Diggle helped clear them and get me into the car, which I had immediately drive off. Sure, I left Tommy too but I needed to get away immediately.

I began training. I knew all about Martin Somers. I wasn't sure why my sister had to go after the worst criminals. He was another name on Mr. Queen's list. He was bribing the Chief of Police and the district attorney. Laurel thinks that she's the only one who can beat him. But she's wrong. I can and I will stop him.

I went to his base of operations by the docks. I quickly got to work taking out all of his men before I grabbed him and knocked him out. When he awoke, he was hanging upside down. I took out my bow.

"Martin Somers, you have failed this city." I told him before I shot an arrow alongside him. "You're going to testify in that trial. You are going to confess to having Victor Nocenti killed. This is your last warning."

I shot a second arrow. With it I made sure to get the side of his face. With that, I was gone.

When I got home, I found Mrs. Queen was berating Diggle for letting me escape. I did feel a little bad. He was only trying to do his job.

"Is everything okay?" I asked.

"It would be if you would share where you've been sneaking off to. Or maybe we could talk to your father." She stated.

"Alright, I met someone. I've started seeing someone. My dad doesn't know that I like girls and I don't want to tell him until we're serious." I lied.

"Well next time you go out on one of these dates, you need to take Mr. Diggle with you." She declared. "You've already been abducted once and there is a maniac running around town."

"That maniac saved me after I was abducted." I pointed out.

"This isn't a game. You go out again without Mr. Diggle and I will tell your father." She threatened.

"Alright." I agreed. "I will take Diggle wherever I go."

"I'm sorry to put you through so much trouble." I apologized. I realized the easiest way would be to tell him the truth, but I had to make sure that he wouldn't tell anyone else and that I could trust him.

"I've served three tours in Afghanistan, Ms. Lance. You don't even come close to trouble." He declared as he buttoned up his jacket and walked closer. He stood beside me. "But I have a promise for you. If you ditch me again, Mrs. Queen won't have to fire me."

With that, he walked away.

At that point, Thea walked into the room. She looked hot. Tommy was right. I had noticed, even though it was wrong of me to do so.

"Where are you going?" I asked. It was interesting that her mother didn't think that she needed a bodyguard.

"Somewhere with a lot of noise." She answered. She probably did need a bodyguard. "Don't bother trying to pickpocket my stash because I'm drinking this time."

"Thea, do you think this is what your father would want, what your brother would want?" I asked.

"Dead people don't want things." She pointed out. "It's one of the nice things about being dead."

"Everyone thought I was dead and I still wanted things." I argued.

"Whatever." She said before she walked off.

I decided to go with my dad's idea and went to check out Queen Consolidated. Apparently, they were willing to give me a potential despite the fact that I had no business experience. It seemed like all you needed to do to get a job was to have sex with the CEO's dead son. Okay, that's in poor taste.

"So, is this your first time here?" Mr. Steele asked.

"Oliver brought me here before." I explained.

"Well we've modernized quite a bit since you were last year." He declared. We then went into his office and he rattled off some things that I didn't really understand. It seemed like it was good at least. I just didn't know what it meant.

"Hey, can I get a drink?" I asked a secretary.

"Sara, we'd like to speak with you." Mrs. Queen declared. "Please sit."

"You know I can't help but feel nervous when you ask me to sit." I replied.

"Very well. So we are about to the name of the site of a new applied sciences building and we would like to honor Oliver by naming it after him." Mr. Steele told me.

"What does that have to do with me?" I questioned.

"We'd like to make an announcement at the dedication that you will be taking a leadership position at the company." She replied.

"What? I don't know anything about business." I pointed out. It was possible that it would just be a figurehead. "Besides, it seems like you two are doing a very good job. You don't have to feel guilty about what happened to me. No one made me go on that boat."

"It's not about guilt, it's about giving you something to do in your life." She stated. "You could learn a lot by watching."

"I know this is a difficult, but I really think that you should think it over." Mr. Steele declared. I couldn't help but wonder if they had talked to my dad. "Your father thinks it will be good for you."

"I never even went to college!" I responded. "I'm not going to take some charity job. At least if I followed in my father's footsteps, I'd have to earn it."

With that, both of them walked out.

Once I got out of the building, they were reporters again. Didn't they have anything better to do than follow me around? Apparently, there was a rumor that I would be joining the company. I really didn't think the public would even like that. This time I let Diggle get in the car with me.

"The driver will be here in a minute." He remarked. "You know I spent the first 27 years of my life in Starling City. The next five were in Afghanistan. Wanna know what I learned?"

"There's no place like home?" I guessed.

"The opposite actually: home is a battlefield. It's where they all want you to open up and be somebody that you're not sure you are any more. Or maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it's not the same for you. Maybe you're not as messed up after five years alone as you should be."

 _I woke up on the island to the sound of seagulls. I saw that they were pecking at Mr. Queen's body._

" _Hey, get the fuck out of here!" I screamed as if they understood me. I then ran over and they flew off. I looked at the body and I felt sick to my stomach before actually vomiting. I knew he needed to be buried. I couldn't pick him up, so I dragged him. I hoped I wouldn't disfigure his corpse too much._

I decided to go to the precinct to talk to my dad about what happened but I found out that he had gone to see Laurel. Apparently, both her and Emily were going to being getting police escorts, and yet Thea was still allowed to go out on her own.

So, I went home. I had just come out of the shower and turned on the news. I was in my bra and pant and started to put a shirt on.

"How did you get those?" Thea interrupted. I blushed.

"It's rude to just barge in." I told her. In all fairness, I had left the door open.

"My mom said that there were scars but I didn't know they were this bad." She replied as she walked closer and looked at them. "What happened to you out there, Sara?"

"I don't want to talk about it." I stated.

"Of course. You never want to talk unless it's about my social life." She remarked. "You know I used to look up to you. I loved it when you would babysit me when our siblings were going out."

"Wait. Where are you going?" I asked.

"Why should I tell you?" She retorted. "All you're going to do is judge me for it."

"Look, I'm not good at this stuff. I was always the little sister, never the big one." I explained. "I also need to get better about talking about my feelings and what happened, but I'm not ready."

"I wanna show you something." She remarked.

She took me to the backyard. You know I had never really explored the campus of their house. Anyway, she took me to some makeshift gravestones for Oliver and his father.

"Whenever I'm feeling weird, or angry or whatever, I come here." She stated. "About a month after the funeral, my mom stopped coming. She eventually stopped talking. It got so quiet, so I came here. It was mostly stupid stuff, but it always made me feel better. I thought things would change since you moved in, but the truth is I feel closer to him than you standing right next to me."

"There is something I want to talk to you about." I admitted. "Your mom wants me to take a job in the company."

"I can't really visualize you in a pantsuit." She quipped.

"I don't know what to do. I think my dad wants me to as well." I added.

"Well, I wish I could help you but I don't have an answer but it would probably be the wrong one, since I'm such a disappointment." She said. "There is a person that I think can give you good advice and that's your sister. I mean she's the only person around here that got her life right."

That wasn't what I wanted to hear, but she was right. So, that night I went to her apartment and knocked on the door.

"Hey Sis." I greeted her. She glared at me. "Are you okay? There are two cop cars outside and I know Dad wanted to do something."

"How are we supposed to keep our distance if you won't keep your distance from me?" She asked. I started to stammer before she cut me off. "What are you doing here, Sara?"

"I have something that I needed to talk to you about." I said.

"Why me instead of the people you haven't pushed away?" She challenged.

"Because as Thea told me, you're the only one of us who has her life together." I declared. She sighed and stepped aside to let me in. We both took a seat on the couch. "This place still looks the same."

"I haven't really had time to redecorate." She quipped.

"I'm a bitch." I stated. "Before the accident, I was a conniving bitch, but now I'm just a damaged bitch."

"What's in the bag?" She asked.

"There was one thing that I craved on the island. One thing that I really wanted to eat. I told myself that if I ever got to eat it again, I would want it to be with you." I explained before I took out some Edy's. "Ice cream."

After a few minutes, I spoke again.

"This is still good." I declared. For the first time since I came back, I saw her smile. "Both Dad and Mrs. Queen want me to join the company."

"I can't imagine you in a pantsuit." She replied.

"Thea said the same thing." I retorted. "The truth is that I have plans. I have things that I want to do. I can't do them if I'm working a desk job."

"You're a grown woman, Sara. You can tell them no." She stated.

"I tried. I don't think that's going to work." I remarked.

"Well then don't tell them, show them." She suggested. "Be the person you want them to see you as. I have plenty of experience. You know Dad still doesn't support what I do."

"He's just trying to look out for you." I stated.

"And I don't need him to." She declared as she sat up.

"I'm sorry for what happened." I remarked.

"He blames himself more than he blames you. Well he blames Oliver for some but he thought that if you two had been closer, he could have stopped you."

At that point, I heard a sound.

"Okay, it sounds like there's someone on the fire escape." I told her. I grabbed a knife.

"What?" She asked.

I just grabbed her and we began to run. Suddenly, an Asian man with a machine gun burst in the door. Another came in through the bedroom window. I then saw a woman wearing a white wig. Suddenly, some shots went through one of the guys and Diggle came in. He then shot the other guy before he started to grapple with the woman. She seemed to have the upper hand, so I threw the knife at hers and she ran away. Laurel ran into my arms.

"Are you hurt?" He questioned.

"No." I replied.

"Are you either of you hurt?" He repeated.

"No, we're fine." I responded.

"Now do you see why it's a good idea to have a bodyguard?" He asked.

It didn't take long for the police to arrive. Dad wasn't far behind. He hugged both of us as soon as he arrived.

"What happened to those cops you put on me?" Laurel inquired. He shook his head.

"I went outside to ask for a light and they were both dead in the car." Diggle added. Did he smoke?

"Mr. Diggle, feel free to run as many red lights as you want." Dad declared.

"I was just doing my job, Sir." Diggle retorted.

"No, your job is protecting Sara. Tonight, you protected both of my daughters." Dad countered.

"So, where was your hood friend?" Hilton asked me.

"I don't know. She was probably torturing a billionaire." I quipped.

From there, Diggle and I returned home. He had some bandages on his hand.

"So, I don't think thank you would be enough." I stated as I walked by

"Like I told your dad I was just doing my job." He replied. "I feel like I'm the one who should be thanking you for the knife."

"That was a lucky throw." I declared as I walked over to him.

"That was a kitchen knife. I wasn't properly-weighted, yet you threw it accurately across a 10-foot room." He pointed out.

"Like I said, it was a lucky throw." I repeated.

"I'm not the kind of person you should take for a fool, Miss Lance." He stated. "And I think I'm finally starting to understand the kind of person you are."

"Well I'm a pretty shallow girl. I like to party." I answered. "I'm also very tired, so I'm going to go to bed."

I didn't go to bed. I went to my lair. I wanted to give Martin Somers the chance to do the right thing, but he had to go after someone that I cared about. Now he would have me to deal with. I went to the docks. I killed one of the men. His walkie went off.

"Wallace, are you there?" The man asked.

"Wallace isn't here, but I am." I replied. I could only imagine what was happening with Dad and Laurel, but I imagined it wasn't good.

They began to shoot at me, but they were terrible shots. I supposed when it came to henchmen, you wanted to spend as little money as possible and getting people that could actually shoot wasn't possible. The nice thing about arrows was that they were easier to aim. I saw Somers running and began to chase after him. I shot into a crate next to him.

"God, please no." He begged.

"He can't help you now." I declared as I fired another arrow. "I want the truth about Victor Nocenti."

"I can't. The Triad will kill me." He said.

"I'll kill you if you don't." I pointed out. "The Triad's not your concern now."

"Okay, I didn't kill him. It was The Triad." He explained.

"Who ordered them to do it?" I challenged.

"Alright. I did." He admitted. "Nocenti said he was going to testify against me, so I did it."

" _Move away from him."_ The white-haired woman said in Chinese.

" _Make me,"_ I retorted. We began to fight and at that point, I heard the sounds of police sirens.

"This is the police. Drop your weapons." An intercom interrupted. I began to run.

"Freeze!" Hilton told me as he pointed his gun at me. "One move and you're dead.

I quickly threw an arrow at him, knocking the gun out of his hand and made my escape. The arrow wasn't any arrow. It contained the recording of what Somers had said. I then returned to the lair. Laurel was right. I couldn't be the person that everyone wanted me to be and still keep the promise I made to Mr. Queen. I had to be the person I want them to think I am.

I decided to show up to the ceremony late. I even interrupted Mr. Steele's speech.

"Hey, wasn't this supposed to be about me?" I slurred. I hoped Thea wouldn't call me a hypocrite even though I wasn't actually drunk. "I mean you wanted me to join your company, didn't you? Some of you may not know me. My name is Sara Lance. Okay, everyone knows me. I'm kind of famous. I'm mostly famous because I nearly died on Robert Queen's boat and I was having sex with Oliver. The fact is people want me to join Queen Consolidated, despite being horrifically unqualified, but I'm not a Queen. I don't deserve this job and I would appreciate if it went to someone who did. Something who's qualified. It shouldn't be about who you know, but who you are."

You know I wasn't planning on an anti-nepotism rant, but it just came out.

"Well that was some speech." Thea said a little after I got home.

"I wasn't drunk." I told her.

"I liked it." She admitted. "You probably wouldn't want to work for my mom anyway."

Before I could say any more, I heard a knock at the door. I opened it to see my father.

"What the hell happened there?" He asked me.

"I meant every word I said, Daddy." I declared. "I don't want something handed to me and I don't want to do a business job. You look tired."

"I was busy filling out paperwork from last night's shootout at the docks. Plus, Luke and I got berated for letting that archer get away."

"Well it seems like she got that Somers guy to confess." Thea piped in.

"I didn't ask your opinion, Miss Queen." Dad retorted. "She's an anarchist, and while I appreciate her saving my daughter's life I prefer when people do things the legal way. This girl is going to get caught and she's going to learn you can't do things like that."

"Well I'm gonna take a nap." I said before I gave my dad a hug. "I love you, Daddy."

I went to my room and crossed Somers's name off the list.

 _On the island, I couldn't find a shovel and I knew burying him with my hands would take too long, I then noticed something in his pocket, a small book which I would later find out contained the list and also a symbol which I still hadn't figured out. I built a grave of rocks and covered him with them. Suddenly, an arrow went through my chest and I fell to the ground in pain before losing consciousness._

I went outside a little later. I made sure no one was around.

"Hi, Ollie." I replied. I felt a little silly talking to a rock, but people did it all of the time. "Your dad asked me to save the city, but you probably already know that. I'm not having the easiest time reconnecting with people. I think I'm finally breaking ground with Laurel. I'm not sure whether or not your sister likes me. It hurts to keep these secrets. I will save the city. I just can't be the person that everyone wants me to be. I hope that I don't lose myself again. Maybe now people will stop treating me like I'm you. I don't want to be you. I want to be me."

So Sara had to deal with her own father in addition to everything that Moira wanted from her. Plus there were a few extra scenes with Thea. Please don't forget to review.


	3. The Lone Gunman

My name is Sara Lance. To my family, I am the sister and daughter that returned home after five years at sea. Unbeknownst to them, I came back with a mission to bring justice to my city and they never will. The people I've targeted are dangerous and corrupt. There were the cancers of the city. One such cancer was James Holder. He was known for putting defective smoke detectors in the cheap houses in the Glades. There have been too many fires and too many funerals. Cancer be beaten though with the right treatment and the right doctor. Fortunately, they had me.

I went up to Holder's rooftop. The asshole had a pool and bar on his roof. Part of me wanted to kill him just for being a tool, but I didn't kill like that. I did, however, shoot his glass of champagne out of his hand. He looked at me, but didn't seem afraid.

"I have armed security inside. All I have to do is call out." He told me.

"I visited them first." I stated as I threw the guns to the ground.

"What the fuck do you?" He asked. Now he was afraid.

"I want you to tell me how many people died in those fires." I questioned as I drew my bow. "The court says you don't owe your victims anything. I disagree James Holder…"

Before I could finish my sentence, Holder was shot in the chest suddenly. There was someone nearby. I shot a few arrows but I didn't see anyone before they returned fire. I hid behind the bar before I felt the pain. I had been hit in the arm. It was likely just a flesh wound since it wasn't near any arteries, but I would have to deal with it early before it got infected.

I returned to my base, removed the bullet and started to stitch up the wound. It still stung like a bitch. I shouldn't have been surprised that someone like James Holder had multiple issues. I crossed his name off of the list before I started to feel odd and disoriented. I looked at the bullet and immediately realized that I had been poisoned. Fortunately, I was prepared. I had some herbs that I was pretty sure could kill it. I started to chew them quickly before guzzling a bottle of water. I then passed out on the floor. I started to dream, so I was pretty sure I wasn't dead.

 _I woke up in a cave with the arrow still sticking out of my chest. I then noticed a Chinese man in a green hood with a bow and arrow. He didn't look particularly interested in me sexually, so at least that was good. It was comforting that even if he was going to kill me, he wasn't planning to rape me first._

" _Who are you?" I asked. He didn't say anything. He just got closer. "Why did you shoot me?"_

 _He answered me in Chinese. Not speaking it, I had no idea what he said. He offered me a bowl containing some herbs and water and then pulled the arrow out of me._

I shot awake I didn't know how much later. I then noticed that it was morning and I had slept through the night. I cursed to myself as I grabbed my coat.

When I got home, I found that there were police cars there. I hoped it wasn't my dad checking up on me because he would mad about me not coming home. I then noticed that they seemed to be talking to Mrs. Queen and Thea was there. I really hoped that they weren't looking for me.

'What happened? Are they looking for me?" I whispered to Diggle.

"No, Thea and her friends broke into a store last night and tried on some clothes. Cops brought her here." He explained. I breathed a quiet sigh of relief. "So, how was your evening, Miss Lance?"

"You mean after I went to the bathroom and never came back?" I asked.

"I guess this means I'll have to send someone to the toilet with you." He quipped. "Who knows maybe you'll make a friend."

I then walked over.

"We're going to talk later." Dad told me before he and the other officers left. Having a dad who was a cop sucked sometimes. Now I would have to come up with a story for why I was out all night and it would have to be good. I didn't think he would hook me up to a polygraph but he could still spot a bad lie.

"So, first it was public intoxication and now it's breaking and entering. Looks like you're becoming quite the criminal." Mrs. Queen quipped. Talking to my dad would probably be something like that.

"You know when you bribe the store owner you should get something for yourself." Thea retorted.

"Thea, go get ready for school." Her mother replied.

"You know I think I'm gonna take a sick day." Thea responded.

"Then go get some sleep." She ordered.

"You look like crap." Thea told me as she walked by.

"Mrs. Queen, I don't mean to butt in on your parenting, but I don't think you should let her get away with stuff like that." I declared.

"When Thea gets like this, it's best to give her space." She said.

"You do realize that she's turning into Oliver, don't you?" I asked. "She's emulating him. She wants to be like him because she thinks it will help his name live on. She has to learn that there's a better way to honor his name than this path of self-destruction."

I went back to my lair and began to analyze the bullet that I had removed from my arm. I needed to determine the poison the shooter had used because it likely fit a pattern. I quickly found out that they were laced with curare. Now I knew what to look for. I found a number of deaths that matched that. He had killed people all over the world. His victims were from Gotham, Markovia, Corto Maltese and many other places. Interpol even had a name for him: Deadshot. I wanted to give James Holder a chance to right his wrongs, but this Deadshot was different. He didn't kill for honor or morality, just for profit. It made him more dangerous than anyone on the list.

I had a phone conversation with my dad and I told him the truth, well part of it. I told him that I was in the place that I was going to use as my cover: the Old Queen steel building. I was going to turn it into a nightclub. I brought Tommy and Diggle with me to see it.

"So, is this a good place for a nightclub or what?" I asked.

"It looks good, but I'd advise against calling it Lance's unless you want a certain crowd." Tommy remarked. A gay bar was tempting, but I was looking for something more inclusive.

"I can put a private office up there." I replied.

"Is it going to be for one-on-one meetings?" Tommy asked with a grin.

"There may be two-on-one meetings." I responded. He chuckled.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Tommy questioned. "You're not really experienced in running anything, not even a lemonade stand."

"Laurel beat me to it." I countered.

"Well maybe tomorrow night the two of us can check on the competition." He suggested. "There's a new club called Poison that just opened up. Max Fuller owns it."

"Tommy, you do remember that I dumped Max Fuller, don't you?" I challenged.

"That was in high school." He said.

"It was on prom night." I remarked. That wasn't one of my finest moments.

"Prom night is part of high school." He pointed out. "Besides, who can stay mad at a castaway. Well, I need to go. Good luck."

"So, what do you think?" I asked Diggle after he left.

"I'm here to provide protection, Miss Lance, not a commentary." He replied.

"Come on, John, humor me." I declared.

"Well this is the Glades. Your rich white friends would never come here." He said.

"They'd come because it's me." I retorted. "They'd wait for three hours if I told them to."

"And no one who actually lives in the Glades would have to pay a dime." He reasoned.

"It's good for the community and for me." I responded as I nodded.

"So you're a white knight who wants to save the disenfranchised now." He quipped.

"You don't think much of me, do you?" I countered.

"On the contrary, Miss Lance, I have a high regard for how perceptive you are." He replied with a smile before he walked outside.

Once the club was opened, I would have an alibi in case the police ever stopped by. I sent the story to the local newspaper. I hoped they would have it online by tomorrow.

The following day, I decided to check out the buildings near where Holder was shot. I also found out that another man: Carl Rasmussen was killed. He was also on the list. I wondered if there was another copy.

I scaled the building and pulled out a bullet that was stuck in wall. I took it back to my lair to further analyze it. I found the rounds were 7.62mm. Those were the choice ammunition of the Bratva, the Russian Mob. That was convenient.

I went to an auto shop that I knew was a front for the Bratva. I had a Starling Rockets hat and my hair in a ponytail on because I wanted to try to hide my identity a little. I really wasn't as nervous as you would expect me to be. I had a source that I could go to.

" _I'm looking for Alexi Leonov." I said in Russian._

" _There's no one here with that name."_ One of the men replied.

" _I don't mean in your garage. I mean in the basement underneath."_ I told them. The other man reached for his gun but I quickly disarmed him. I then showed them my tattoo. " _I am Bratva. I want to see Alexi Leonov._ "

He then bowed in front of me.

"Pleased to meet you." He said before I reciprocated the bow. He then took me downstairs. "I apologize. We meant no respect to a captain. It's just uncommon for an American woman to have such a rank. So, how can I help you?"

"I'm looking for a gunman." I explained as he poured a drink. "The organization has used him before. His calling card is a 7.62 mm round laced with curare."

"I don't know of any man with such cards." He stated.

"But I know you can find out who does." I pointed out.

"First we will drink to each other's health. Then, I will look into this man's identity." He said as he handed me a glass. I downed it quickly. "I will also look into yours. If you are not who you are say you are, I will send my mechanic to kill you and your family."

They wouldn't want to do that considering my father was a cop. I then turned on the news and found that there was another victim who also happened to be on the list. I couldn't help but wonder if there was another copy somewhere. I didn't think it was a coincidence. Deadshot was still in town and I needed to find him before he killed any more people.

That night, I was dressed for the club. By that, I meant that I was wearing a very short red faux-leather lace-up dress with 3-inch red heels. The music was loud, and the place was dark.

"This is gonna be killer." Tommy declared.

"If Max Fuller sees me, I agree." I replied as I pulled on my dress. "I can't believe you convinced me to dress like this."

"If you want to run a club, you have to look the part and take a few risks." Tommy said as we went past the line. The bouncer then stopped Diggle.

"I don't see your name on the list." He replied.

"Miss Lance?" Diggle asked.

"I don't know this guy." I told the bouncer as I put my hand on his shoulder. Diggle did not look amused.

We walked into the club and it really seemed like I wasn't out of place. I couldn't believe that women dressed even more sluttily than they did five years ago. It didn't take very long before I saw a familiar face and it was someone that I never thought that I would see in a place like this.

"Isn't there some kind of law that says you can't have fun?" Tommy asked.

"That's cute, Tommy." Laurel responded. "Just what have you dragged my sister into."

"How do you know it wasn't her idea to come?" Tommy challenged.

"Because she's obviously uncomfortable in that dress and I'm guessing she didn't choose it." She noted.

"Sara!" Thea interrupted as she ran over. What was she doing here? Did these places actually not care that she was 17? They had to at least know. "I am so wasted there are two of you."

"I thought you were supposed to be grounded." I remarked.

"I am and thanks for that by the way. You look totally gorgeous in that dress." She explained as she put her hand on my chest. I pushed it off, despite that it felt nice.

"You need to go home." I ordered, despite having no authority over her.

"What are you going to do? Tell my mom?" She challenged. I could tell my dad, but he might shut the place down for serving a minor.

"Thea, I know that you're trying to be like Oliver, but this isn't good for you." I stated. "All of this drinking and drugs is going to make you end up dead or in jail. You're hanging with the wrong people."

"I've been hanging with the wrong people?" She challenged. "Did you even know that your new best friend has been screwing your sister?"

"Look, Sara…" Tommy started.

"Tommy, I don't mind." I replied. I then grabbed Thea. "We're going home."

"Let me go." She said as she broke free of my grasp. "You're not my mother and you're not my sister."

She then walked away. I wished that I had let Diggle in with me because he could have taken her home.

"Well, well, if it isn't Sara Lance." A voice interrupted. I looked to see Max Fuller.

"Max, how have you been?" I questioned.

"Well happy Oliver Queen drowned for one." He replied before he took me into his office. "Now let's get you out of that dress."

He reached over and ripped one of my straps. It looked like I would have to fight him. However, before I could do anything, Tommy came in trying to be the white knight.

"Let her go." He demanded. At that point, some of Max's men started to beat on him. "This was a bad idea."

I was about to attack when I heard something from behind me. Everyone turned around to see that Laurel had taken down Max. I didn't know she knew how to fight.

"You have to be pretty dumb." She remarked. "You know I should call my dad. I'm sure he'll be really thrilled that you tried to sexually assault his daughter, not to mention the whole fact that your bartender's serving minors."

"All three of you are banned for life." Max declared. It was too bad I couldn't convince him to ban Thea too. "Get the hell out of my club!"

"Your club sucks anyway." Tommy slurred. He was a bit dazed.

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" I questioned.

"Dad made me take self-defense classes after you disappeared." She explained. That actually made sense.

"Laurel, about Thea…" I started.

"Sara, Tommy and I don't need your approval." She cut me off.

"I was going to say that I was hoping you could try to find her." I remarked. "Maybe she'll listen to you."

She then walked off. I wasn't sure if it was a yes or not.

 _I woke up in the cave. I noticed that the man was asleep. It hurt to move but I managed to get up and started to walk. I then started to run. I ran away, even though I wasn't sure where I was going. Eventually, I realized that I had walked into a trap before I was caught in a net._

Diggle took Tommy and I to Big Belly Burger. I wore Tommy's jacket to cover up my torn dress.

"Why don't you guys take a seat and I will grab some burgers and some ice." He suggested as he waved to the waitress like he knew her.

"Hey, she's pretty cute." Tommy commented.

"That's my sister-in-law." Diggle replied.

"And I'm never going to talk to her." Tommy added. "I'm gonna grab a booth."

"She's not wearing a wedding ring." I noted. "Did something happen with your brother?"

"You could say that." Diggle said softly before I headed to the table.

"Look, I'm sorry about Laurel." Tommy remarked. "I was going to tell you. I just wanted to figure out the right way to do so."

"Tell someone that you slept with their sister who was also your best friend's girlfriend after they went missing while sleeping with said best friend?" I challenged. "Isn't there a Hallmark card for such an occasion?"

"It was still wrong of me." He replied.

"Tommy, Oliver is dead." I countered. "There's nothing to apologize for."

Suddenly, my phone rang.

"Hello." I answered. I then realized who it was and greeted him in Russian. "It's a Russian model calling. Can I have a minute?"

Tommy couldn't help but laugh. He probably also wondered if I was speaking to a man or woman. He then walked away from the table.

"So, I guess I checked out." I responded. I knew that I would.

"Da. His name is Floyd Lawton." He explained. "I have address of last time he was in Starling City, but that is all."

"Hopefully, he's a creature of habit." I responded before he gave me the address. It was a hotel room.

"You will leave us out of this, yes?" He asked. "Assuming Mr. Lawton doesn't kill you first."

I then hung up. I knew that wouldn't happen. I got dressed and headed over to the room. I kicked the door open and we began to exchange shots, neither of us hitting each other. He then jumped out the window. I would put money on him still being alive, especially since I didn't see a body. I then noticed that there was a laptop. It had been hit, but maybe if I took it to the right place, they could get the data off of it and maybe I would be able to figure out his next target. I took it and ran.

I had a few options of where to take it. I could take it to tech support at the station, but that would raise a lot of questions and some of those would probably go to my dad. I couldn't take the risk, so I took it somewhere else with a good tech department. I walked into Queen Consolidated and they directed me to someone. I walked into the room and saw a blonde woman wearing glasses.

"Felicity Smoak?" I asked. She appeared to be in the middle of lunch. "I'm Sara Lance."

"Of course. I know who you are. You dated Oliver Queen." She replied. "Well not exactly dated. You were on his boat and he drowned and you didn't…which means you can be in the IT department and listening to me babble, which I will stop doing…now."

"So, I was out for a walk and I found this laptop." I declared. "I was hoping you that you could look at some of the files so I can reunite it with its owner."

"It's full of bullet holes." Felicity pointed out.

"It was a bit of a bad neighborhood." I remarked. She tilted her head. "I just want to know who it belongs to."

She hooked it up to her computer and I took a seat next to her. She pulled up something.

"These look like blueprints." She declared. I could tell they were blueprints but the location was unfamiliar.

"What of?" I inquired. It didn't look like a place I had ever been to.

"The exchange building. It's where the UNIDAC auction is taking place." She stated. "This has a list of names of people that are trying to buy UNIDAC Industries. This includes Mr. Steele as well as James Holder and Carl Rasmussen. This laptop comes from the company of one of the other guys that's trying to buy the company."

"Floyd Lawton?" I asked.

"No, Warren Patel." She corrected. "Who's Floyd Lawton?"

"Apparently one of Mr. Patel's employees." I declared.

Well I now I knew why Deadshot was killing the people and who he was working for. The exchange building was surrounded by three towers with eyelines into the building. He could get his shot off from any of them. It was impossible for me to cover the area. There was no way for me to protect all of Deadshot's targets alone. I would need some help. I would need some help and I knew where to get it from.

I went to the police station just as he was leaving. I grabbed him and pinned him to his car.

"How stupid are you doing this outside of a police station?" Hilton asked.

"The man targeting the potential buyers of UNIDAC Industries is Floyd Lawton. Interpol calls him Deadshot because he never misses. Look it up." I explained.

"I suppose you want me to stop chasing you in exchange." He remarked.

"Warren Patel hired Lawton. I don't know who the target is. It may be all of the buyers. I need your help. Lawton uses curare-laced bullets. Tell your men to wear Kevlar." I continued.

I then disappeared, leaving an arrow and the laptop behind. I had an event that I needed to get to. I wore a baby blue layered chiffon keyhole dress with matching loafers. The first person I ran into was someone that I didn't want to see. I didn't want him there.

"Sara, what are you doing here?" He asked.

"I came to support Mr. Steele. What are you doing here?" I questioned.

"That's not important. You need to leave." He ordered.

"I'm not going anywhere unless you tell me what's going on." I countered.

"Alright, there's been some shootings lately and both men were interested in buying this company. We're led to believe that the shooter is going to attack here." He explained as I saw Hilton taking Warren Patel away. "Now you need to leave."

"I need to warn Mr. Steele." I responded. I really was planning on doing that anyway. I ran downstairs. I was glad that I had brought my comfortable shoes for later. I found Diggle first. "Do you have your eyes open?"

"That's one of the reasons that I'm here. Well that and answering patronizing questions." He told me.

"Time is running out. If this guy is gonna do something, it'll have to be before the auction." I stated.

"What?" He asked.

"My dad told me about the shootings." I said.

"Sara." Mr. Steele interrupted. "I wasn't expecting you here."

"Mr. Steele, my dad said that some of the UNIDAC bidders were murdered." I remarked. "I don't think it's really that safe to be here right now. I don't want Mrs. Queen to lose another husband."

"Well if Moira shared your concern, she wouldn't have come." He explained. Fuck, she wasn't supposed to be here. "And she definitely wouldn't have brought Thea."

Double fuck. That's not even a thing. I walked over to them.

"Sara, what are you doing here?" Mrs. Queen asked. I called Diggle over.

"Please get them out of here." I requested. Before anything else could be said, my dad tackled Mr. Steele and a waiter was hit. Then several more shots were fired and everyone started to duck. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Where's Walter?" Mrs. Queen replied.

"Get them out of here." I ordered.

"What about you?" Diggle asked.

"Protect them first." I replied before I headed up. I found a bathroom because I knew I would have to change quickly. Unfortunately, someone followed me.

"Sara, what are you doing? Now's not the time to go to the bathroom." Thea said once I was already in the stall. I didn't have to waste.

"Thea, I can't talk right now." I stated as I struggled to get changed. "You need to get out of here."

"I'm not leaving until you do." She replied. I considered my options. There really wasn't a way that I get out without hurting her. It left me with only one choice and it was definitely not the one that I wanted. I sighed and stepped out in my full costume.

"You're…" She stammered in surprise.

"Look, I need you to not tell anyone and I promise that I'll talk about this more later, but I need you to leave so I can try to get to the shooter before he gets away." I remarked as I started to run.

I shot a zipline across to the tower and kicked through. We once again began to trade shots and once again neither of us hit each other. I knew I would have to hide until I could get the perfect shot off. I hit him from behind and we started to trade blows before I went back to hiding.

"Drop your guns." I warned him.

"I admire your work." He replied. "I guess you won't be extending me any professional courtesy." He stated.

"We're not in the same line of work." I argued. "Your profession is cold-blooded murder."

"You've taken lives." He countered.

"I've done it for the good of others." I pointed out. "You're in it for yourself."

He then started shooting again. I fired a single arrow and the bullets suddenly stopped. I then looked and noticed that I had hit in the eye. However, before I could check to make sure that he was dead, I noticed that Diggle was hunched over in the corner. He had been hit. He would need attention immediately and I couldn't exactly call an ambulance.

 _I was still in the net before the Chinese man found me. He said something before he cut me down and I followed him back to the cave._

I took Diggle back to my lair. I had actually planned on telling soon anyway. It would have probably been under more ideal circumstances, but beggars couldn't be choosers. I gave him some of the herbs and water. I then waited for him to come to. When he did, I was leaning over him with my hood off.

"Hello John." I said.

Well we got a major change from the original. How will Thea react when they finally get the chance to talk? Also Quentin and Laurel are not going to be happy with her. Please don't forget to review.


	4. An Innocent Man

I took Diggle back to my lair. I had actually planned on telling him soon anyway. It would have probably been under more ideal circumstances, but beggars couldn't be choosers. I gave him some of the herbs and water. I then waited for him to come to. When he did, I was leaning over him with my hood off.

"Hello John." I said.

"Sara?" He asked. I nodded. "You're that vigilante."

I thought that was implied. At that point, he went to punch me. I was able to easily dodge. I probably would have been able to do so even if he wasn't disoriented

"Easy, Dig. You were poisoned." I told him.

"You bitch!" He shouted before he swung at me again. This time, I caught him in my hands and threw him back.

"I could have taken you anywhere." I pointed out. "I could have taken you home, but instead I chose to bring you here."

"I can't believe it. You lost your mind on that island, didn't you?" He asked.

"I found a few other things." I retorted.

"Like what archery classes?" He challenged.

"Clarity. Starling City is dying." I explained. He was not taking it as well as I would have hoped. "It is being controlled by a criminal elite who don't care who they hurt as long as they're still wealthy and powerful."

"So what are you going to do? Are you going to take them down by yourself?" He inquired.

"No, I was hoping you would help me." I retorted. I wondered if I was asking too much. He didn't seem to really like the idea. Maybe I could further sell him on the idea. "You're a special forces agent. As a fellow soldier, I was hoping that you would understand my quest for justice."

"A fellow soldier? Sara, you're not a soldier and a murderer." He responded. "You're a criminal and I don't want any part in this."

I would leave the offer still open. I probably shouldn't have expected him to come around right away.

I then headed home. If Thea was still up, I would have to talk to her as well. I seriously hoped that she would be more understanding. However as soon as I got there, I was met by someone that I wasn't expecting.

"Where were you?" Laurel asked me. I couldn't believe that she was there. She probably hadn't been in years.

"What are you doing here?" I responded as I turned to face her.

"I heard about the shooting and I wanted to make sure that you were okay after you didn't answer my calls." She explained.

"You called?" I questioned in surprise. I didn't even know that she had my number.

"Yeah dad wanted me to find you, so I knocked on the door and no one knew where you were. Do you know how worried he was about you to come out of that building and not knowing you were safe? Did you even care?"

Well that was not something that I intended.

"Sara, can you stop being self-centered long enough to realize that other people care about what happens to you?" She challenged. Chewed out twice in one night. I hoped Dad wouldn't do it too.

"You're right." I told her.

"I came to peace with your selfishness before the accident, but Dad and the Queens don't deserve this." She added. Now I was nervous about what Thea was going to say. "They deserve someone who doesn't only care about herself."

She started to walk away before I said something that would stop her.

"Laurel, thanks for checking on me." I remarked.

"I care about my family, Sara. Maybe you should try it sometime." She replied.

"Wow. That was brutal." Thea said. I supposed that it was time to talk about what happened earlier. "Are you okay?"

"Sure. If you want to chew me out too, could it wait until morning?" I requested.

"Okay, we can wait until morning." She agreed. Did that mean that she was going to chew me out, or that she just wanted to go to bed?"

I went to my room and changed into something new. I put on a burgundy babydoll with a lace bra on the top. I had been used to sleeping in my clothes when I was on the island, but I wanted to wear something sexy while sleeping against. I didn't care that I wasn't actually having sex with anyone at the moment. I was sexy for myself, not for other people.

 _I looked at a picture of Oliver from Mr. Queen's wallet. I wasn't sure why I kept considering that his credit cards wouldn't do me any good on the island. Maybe if I ever got off the island, I could them to get me home._

 _The man brought me a cage with a bird in a cage before saying something to me that I didn't understand._

" _What do I do with this?" I challenged. He repeated the same thing. "Does that mean bird? I don't fucking speak Chinese. Just tell me what to do."_

 _He then looked away from me._

" _I'm sorry, Ollie. I'm so sorry." I apologized to the picture._

I then shot awake. I wondered if I was going to keep thinking about what happened to me on the island in chronological order for the next few months or something. I headed out to the living room where I found Thea sitting down watching TV and chips. What caught by surprise more was the fact that she wore a black tank top and panties.

"Couldn't sleep either?" She asked as I took a seat next to her.

"What are you watching?" I replied. I figured I should look at the TV because I was kind of turned on by her.

"Peter Declan." She answered. Peter Declan was a man convicted of the murder of his wife and sentenced to death. He hadn't had an alibi. She then turned off the TV. "So, I guess since neither of us can sleep, we should talk."

"I'm not entirely sure how to start this." I admitted. I hadn't planned on telling Thea, so I didn't have something prepared like I did with Diggle.

"Well how about we start with why? Why are you attacking all of these people?" She questioned. "Why do you care about what they're doing?"

"Your dad asked me to." I answered. "You see I didn't just swim to the island. When the boat went down, Ollie and I were separated. Your dad pulled me onto the life raft which he was on with the first mate. He didn't think the three of us could survive together, so he killed the man and then himself, but not before asking me to save the city. He left behind a list of names."

"Can I see it?" She asked.

"I can't show it to you right now." I answered. "I don't have it with me. Do you hate me?"

"Why would I hate you?" She responded.

"Because you said that I've been really judgmental and I've been keeping this big secret from you and above all, I've killed more than a few people." I explained. "It seems like everyone else hates me. My sister hates me. I've probably made Diggle hate me." I explained.

"Why would Diggle hate you?" She inquired.

"Because I told him tonight." I replied. "He didn't take it well. I just hope I can trust him not to turn me into the police. It's got my questioning if what I'm doing is right. I've basically driven everyone away except Tommy and that's only because he seems to have a high tolerance for people."

"Let me ask you one question. Did you stop the guy who was shooting at everyone?" She responded. I nodded. "Then you're doing the right thing. You're not going to have to worry about anything from me."

"You know I don't like you going out because I don't want you to make the same mistakes that I did. The last thing I want from you is to end up like Oliver and you to die with nothing to be remembered for except the trouble you caused." I stated.

"Maybe if I start can hanging around the right people, I can change." She remarked. "My condition for keeping this a secret is I get to help you."

I really didn't want to her to help me. I knew that there was no way that she could fight the people that I fight. There were also other issues.

"I have a lot of late nights." I declared. "It's not really ideal for someone who's in school."

"I hardly even go to school as is." She remarked. "In case you haven't noticed, I have a lot of late nights too. What you're doing is a safer use of my time than drinking."

She was right.

"You're not going into the field with me." I told her. "Once I figure out how you can help, I'll let you know."

I then went back to my room.

In the morning, I walked downstairs ready to go out. I hoped Diggle had a chance to clear his head. I headed into the living room and found Mrs. Queen with…some other guy.

"How did you sleep?" She asked while not looking up from her paper.

"I slept okay." I answered. "Who's this?"

"This is Mr. Diggle's replacement." She stated while still not looking up. It was kind of creepy.

"Replacement?" I repeated. I really had pushed away. Yet, I wasn't being arrested.

"Mr. Diggle handed in his resignation this morning." She explained as she finally put down her paper.

"Did he say why?" I questioned. I hoped he hadn't told her.

"He said that he didn't like the way you were spending your nights." She remarked. "Practically since you have a tendency to elude him."

"Hi." I greeted the new guy.

"Miss Lance. I'm Rob Scott." He stated. "I'll be your new protector."

"You've got a strong grip." I noted.

"That's from five years of SWAT plus seven in the Marines." He declared. Something about him made me not like him. I wasn't sure what it was.

"I feel safer already." I quipped as Mrs. Queen turned on the TV.

"Oh, thank God we don't have to hear about that terrible man anymore." She said as I noticed it was a report on Peter Declan again. It was at that time that I heard that Peter Declan's wife worked for Jason Brodeur.

"Jason Brodeur." I remarked.

"What was that?" She asked.

"The guy's dead wife worked for Jason Brodeur." I repeated. "But I guess that's not important. Hey, Rob, can you please go get the car so I can go to town?"

"No offense, Miss Lance, but I've been informed of your tendency to run away." He told me. "I think it would be better if I keep you in my sights at all times."

"Rob, if you don't drive me, I have no way to get to town." I pointed out.

Once he was gone, I headed around back and got my motorcycle. It was a gift from my mother. I waved to Rob as I drove by.

I headed to my lair. They said that Peter Declan married his wife in cold blood because he had no alibi. All of the evidence seemed to indicate his guilt. He was tried, convicted, and sentenced to death. There was just problem. Declan's wife worked for Jason Brodeur and he was on the list. My instinct told me that Brodeur was involved in Camille Declan's murder. An innocent man was facing execution. If there was any chance of him surviving, he would need a good attorney and I knew one.

I went to see her after dark. I broke into apartment because I knew I would be able to find her there. I used a voice changer because she would recognize me otherwise. My sister and my father were the last people that I wanted to find out about me. She turned to face with a gun pointed at me.

"Hello Laurel." I greeted her.

"Don't move." She warned me.

"I'm not here to hurt you." I informed her as I put my bow down.

"Stay back." She stated. "My father is a cop."

"I'm not who you think I am." I replied. This was harder than I thought. "I need your help. Peter Declan is about to be executed. I think he's innocent. His wife was going to blow the whistle on Jason Brodeur and Brodeur had her murdered."

"Why me over the hundreds of lawyers in this city?" She asked.

"Because I like what you stand for." I said as I pushed the gun down. "You can't be bought. And I know you want to help."

"How do you know I'm gonna help you?" She questioned.

"Because I know you'll do anything to save the life of an innocent man." I answered. With that I made my leave.

The next day, I had Rob take me to Big Belly Burger because I had a feeling that a certain someone would be there. I even took Thea with me.

"So why are here?" Thea asked. I supposed I hadn't told her about Carly.

"Him." I remarked as I pointed to Diggle as we walked over.

"Hello, Diggle's sister-in-law Carly." I greeted her. I was mainly telling Thea. "I'm Sara Lance and this is my friend, Thea."

"Hi," Thea added.

"I know who you are." Carly said.

"You really don't." Diggle replied.

"I do." Thea responded. I hoped Diggle would read the signs. Carly then walked away and the two of us took a seat at the table across from him. "So, I don't think we have ever talked before."

"She told you too." Diggle remarked. I didn't exactly have a choice.

"Yes, and I admire her for it." Thea said.

"I couldn't help but notice there were no police cars at my house in the morning." I replied. Okay, so it wasn't my house. "I knew you wouldn't rat me out. Have you considered my offer?"

"You're calling it an offer now?" He replied.

"It is an offer." I confirmed. "It's a chance to do the kind of good that made you want to join the military except you'd be doing it on the Homefront."

"Seems like you've already given the offer to someone else." He quipped.

"Just because Thea is here doesn't mean that I don't want your help." I remarked.

"You honestly think that I would work with two rich girls, one with a hero complex and the other with a drinking problem?" He challenged. I then reached into my pocket and pulled out the list. "What's that?"

"It was my father's." Thea remarked.

"I found it when I buried him." I added.

"I thought Mr. Queen died when the boat went down?" He asked.

"We made it to a life raft, but he killed himself. As much as I think it was to save me, I also think he wanted to atone for his sins." I explained.

"I'm not sure what he did, but my dad did some bad things." Thea says.

"I want to honor Oliver Queen's memory by righting the wrongs done by his family." I stated. "And I'm offering you the chance to right the wrongs done to yours."

"My dad said the police never caught your brother's shooter." I declared. I hoped it wasn't too sensitive of a subject.

"Hey, you leave Andy out of this." He warned me. It was a sensitive subject.

"The bullets were laced with curare. He's the sniper from last night that I stopped." I responded. I hadn't had time to check that he was dead because I was too busy tending to him.

"Are you trying to tell me that you killed Andy's killer?" He questioned.

"I stopped him at least." I said. "I want to give you the chance to help other people's families. Do you remember when the people of this city helped one another? That's not possible anymore because a group of people has taken control of the city. They want to raise themselves up by stepping on other people. If the courts and cops can't or won't do anything, someone else has to."

"That was a great speech." Thea commented.

"I hope you'll join us." I remarked as Rob walked over. "Thea and I need to use the little girls' room, Rob."

I grabbed Thea and the two of us went out the side door.

"Not bad." She commented. "So where are we going?"

"Right now, I have to meet my sister and you can't be there," I told her. "I can't let anyone know that I'm not alone."

"Why do you need to be alone with your sister and why would she care? Last I checked, she knows that you live with me." Thea pointed out.

"That would be true if I was going as Sara." I argued.

I then suited up and went to see her.

"I got your message. Is there a reason you won't show me your face?" She asked. She wouldn't like what she saw.

"So, you've met with Peter Declan." I stated.

"You're right. He's innocent. Declan said that his wife blew the whistle on Brodeur the day before she was murdered." She explained.

"Then whoever she told about Brodeur has to testify." I told her as I walked by her. I knew that if she got too close, she might try to take my hood off.

"Matt Istook already testified. He said that she didn't talk to him." She said.

"He's lying." I remarked.

"Well if he is, he's a very good liar because the jury and police believed him." She replied.

"I'm going to go talk to him." I declared.

"I didn't become a lawyer to break the law or hurt anyone." She replied. I wasn't asking her to do either.

"You don't have to, but sometimes, it's what is necessary." I told her.

"If what your doing is right, why are you hiding your face?" She questioned.

"It keeps the people that I care about safe." I pointed out.

"You sound lonely." She commented.

"It is sometimes, but I feel better by knowing that I'm making a difference." I told her. I then took my leave.

I went to find Mr. Istook and shot him with a tranquilizer dart. When he awoke, I was standing over her and his right hand was handcuffed to the train tracks.

"Matt Istook." I said.

"You're her. You're that vigilante." He remarked, I wasn't sure why he was stating the obvious. "You're the one who's been terrorizing the city."

"You lied and put Peter Declan on death row." I responded. "Now you can tell me the truth and as a reward, you'll miss your train."

"Okay. Brodeur paid me off to say I never spoke to Camille, but I had nothing to do with her death." He babbled frantically as he tried to unlock his hand. "Please don't kill. I'll do anything you can have the file that she gave me."

"Where is this file?" I demanded.

"It's in my desk at the office." He replied as the train got closer. I then broke the chain with an arrow and he jumped out of the way at the last second.

 _I sat and watched as the man was cooking something. I tried to reach for it, but he pushed me away. He then pointed at the bird in the cage and mimed breaking a neck. I couldn't believe that he wanted me to kill the bird. He said that word again before he took a bite of his food. I couldn't kill it._

After I had the file, I headed to Laurel's office. I threw it on her desk.

"What is this?" She asked.

"It's a file that Camille Declan gave to Matt Istook. It should save Peter Declan's life." I explained.

"I never would have gotten this file as an attorney." She admitted. "I thought you had to follow the law."

"What do you think now?" I questioned.

"I think there are too many people in this city who only care about themselves." She replied. "I think this city needs someone who cares about the lives of other people like you."

I then headed home. I smiled as I walked in.

"There's something wrong with your face. You're not brooding." Thea declared.

"I may have saved someone's life and I'm finally getting to see the Laurel I always knew, even if she can't see me." I explained.

"You I never thought Peter Declan could be innocent." She replied. "Does this mean that Michael Jackson was innocent or even OJ?"

"Michael Jackson was innocent." I remarked. There wasn't any really evidence against him. OJ was likely involved even if he didn't do the killing. "You know this partnership may just work out."

"Have you heard from Diggle yet?" She asked.

"It's been two hours and he doesn't have my number." I pointed out. At that point, Rob walked in. "Rob, you gotta keep up."

The following day, I went to lunch with my dad.

"I am so mad at your sister right now." He stated.

"That was random." I commented.

"I gave her the name of a guy involved in the Declan case and she gave it to that vigilante." He complained.

"Well maybe she was just trying to help." I offered. "I don't know much about this case, but maybe he's innocent. She lied straight to my face."

I had to admit that I felt guilty. I didn't want to ruin Laurel's relationship with our father. I did think that he was a good cop, but I didn't trust any of the other officers in the precinct.

"Don't be so hard on her, Daddy." I urged. "I'm sure she's not doing anything just to spite you."

That night, I met Laurel again and she told me that the judge didn't listen to her.

"We're not done yet." I replied. I would not allow this to happen. I was not going to fail. If I had to stop the execution myself, I would.

"I'm a lawyer. We're done." She stated.

"What will it take to free Peter Declan?" I asked.

"At that this point, it will probably take either a signed confession or a recording." She declared. I then started to leave. "Where are you going?"

"To get him to confess." I replied. I headed to his office and raised my bow to his face.

"Jason Brodeur, you're going to confess to arranging the murder of Camille Declan." I told him. Most people responded to the bow.

"So I can take his place in prison?" He questioned.

"So you I avoid the death penalty: from the courts and from me." I replied.

"If you kill me, you can't save Peter Declan." He pointed out. That was true. "You need me to exonerate him. Are you going to force me to sign a confession?"

"Maybe." I said before I shot an arrow through his hand. "I hope that wasn't your signing hand."

I then saw that he had a text message from some guy named Sakov saying it was going down in one hour.

"What's going down?" I asked him angrily.

"Let's just say Peter Declan's execution is being moved up." He replied. I punched him out. I couldn't take another minute of that smarmy bastard.

I then headed to Iron Heights. It would be difficult to get in, but not impossible. I found that there was a prison break of some kind. I used the distraction to get inside. I found Declan and also Laurel. When were people going to learn that I was not happy when they put my sister's life at risk. I had to fight off several prisoners. One got inside of the room and threw me to the ground. He then went after Laurel and I started to beat on him.

"He's down." She said. I nearly hit her as she tried to pull me off. I had gone too far, but I couldn't let anyone get away with hurting her. I knew at that moment that I needed to leave immediately. I ran out just before the guards came in.

I didn't want my sister to see me like that but it looked like I had gotten the job done. I had at least saved Laurel and Declan's lives and there was no way that they could do an execution with the current state of the prison. I also happened to overhear from my father that Brodeur's bodyguard confessed to the murder. Though, additionally I heard Laurel denounce me as in the vigilante. I definitely wished that she hadn't seen me like that.

 _I realized that I had no choice. I had to go against my morals and killed the bird. It was the first thing that I had ever killed. I couldn't help but cry as I snapped its neck. I wished that I had known then that it wouldn't be the last neck I would snap._

I went home and I saw Thea was smiling this time.

"I saw it on the news. You did it." She told me before noticing my face. "Why do you look so sad?"

"Laurel saw me nearly beat a guy to death." I stated. "I don't want to talk right now. I just want to go to bed."

 _I cooked and ate the bird. It wasn't even that good, but due to the fact that I hadn't eaten in days, it was the best thing in the world. The man came back and said that word again._

" _Yes. Bird." I replied before bites._

" _It doesn't mean bird." He declared. I couldn't believe he spoke English. "It means survive."_

" _You speak English?" I asked in disbelief._

" _You want survive place, bird won't be last thing you kill." He explained._

In the morning, I found Diggle in the living room.

"You're back." I noted. "If you want your job back, the new guy just quit."

"I want the other job." He replied. "Just to be clear I'm not your sidekick, but you're right. Someone needs to fight for this city and you're doing this with or without me. But I think that with me, and Thea, less people will die. You need some human connections so you don't lose your own humanity."

"I don't want anyone to save me." I argued.

"You need someone, You've never been in a war. You need me and her to remind you of who you are." He replied as Thea walked into the room in her uniform.

"Sara Lance!" Hilton interrupted.

"What the hell is going on?" I asked as I went into the foyer. "Daddy?"

"Sara Lance, you are arrest on suspicion of obstruction of justice, aggravated assault, kidnapping, trespassing, vigilantism and murder."

"Daddy?" I asked, looking my father in the eye.

"Sorry, Baby." He replied as I was handcuffed and taken away.

You have to feel for Lance as his partner is arresting his daughter. It also looks like Thea took it pretty well. You can probably guess how Sara's going to get out of it. Please don't forget to review.


	5. Damaged

_I was with the man who still hadn't told me his name. He shot a rabbit. Come on, wasn't there anything else to eat?_

" _Dinner." He declared._

" _Hey, I have an idea. Maybe I could shoot that thing and you could pick up the bloody animals." I suggested. He just held out the bow. "Are you serious?"_

" _Try." He instructed. "Breathe. Every shot breathe. Breathe, aim, fire."_

 _I took the bow and the arrow that he gave me._

" _Aim that tree." He said pointing to the plant. I fired the arrow and promptly missed by a lot. I didn't even hit the tree. He then said someone in Chinese._

" _I don't speak Chinese, remember?" I retorted in annoyance._

" _It mean you will die badly." He responded as he took the bow back. "Now get dinner."_

 _I sighed and went to fetch the rabbit. I had to admit that I felt like a dog. However, before I could get there, I was grabbed my some men and throwed into a small pit and locked in._

" _Hey, you can't leave me here. I'll do anything you want." I begged._

The police thought that they knew who I was. They thought I was the vigilante, the man in the hood terrorizing criminals. They also thought that I was trapped. They thought that I had no way out. They were very wrong. They took my mugshot. I wanted to smirk, but that would make me look guilty.

I then went into a room with Hilton. He was going to be interrogating me.

"This is a mistake." I declared.

"I'm going to ask you a few questions. It's standard procedure." He remarked. "Have you ever been arrested before."

The technical answer to that was no. I had been taken to my father before. Considering that I had never committed any major crimes, they figured they could do that.

"You have the wrong girl. This is a mistake." I repeated.

"No, the only mistake was me not shooting you down at the docks." He argued. "You are exactly who I think you are. You are a menace to society and a dangerous psychopath."

I couldn't be a psychopath. Psychopaths are born without moral ground. The correct term was sociopath, but I wasn't one of those either.

"Detective Hilton, you are my father's partner. You have never liked me even before the accident, but none of that makes me a vigilante." I responded. "Why would I even need to be when I could get into the academy easily?"

"You being caught on camera at the UNIDAC auction with a green hood makes you a vigilante." He declared. Unless he had me wearing the hood, it was circumstantial evidence at best.

"I ran upstairs as I heard shots. I found a bag that I thought belonged to the shooter and found a hood." I replied. Such a statement couldn't be disproven.

"Well what did you do with it because we can't find it?" He asked. "And what about the incident with Adam Hunt? That happened right across the street from your party."

"That's just a coincidence." I pointed out.

"No, that's evidence." He countered. "And there is a lot of piled up against you."

"Is any of it anything but circumstantial?" I questioned.

At that point, the door opened. It was my father.

"Quentin, I'm in the middle of an interrogation." Hilton remarked.

"Well even you know that she has the right to an attorney." Laurel interrupted as she walked into the room. I was surprised that she came.

"You can't represent your sister." Hilton argued. "It's a conflict of interest."

"I never said that I would be representing her." Laurel pointed out before her friend walked into the room.

"My name is Joanna de la Vega and I will be acting as Sara's attorney." She said. So that was her name.

"You know it's also a conflict of interest for someone so close to the accused to be involved in the arrest." Joanna declared. That was true. I had been to dinner with him and his family a few times. "Now unless you want these charges to be dropped, you'll need to recuse yourself from the case."

It meant that he would have to talk to someone else. He left the room, but I didn't think that I was out of the woods yet. I would still have to submit proof that I wasn't the vigilante.

"Can I have a moment with my family?" I asked Joanna. She stepped out of the room. "Does either of you think that I'm capable of murder?"

"Well to be honest, after that island, I don't know what you're capable of." Dad admitted.

"Just don't say anything to the police without Joanna present." Laurel said. "And as for your question, no I don't think that you are the vigilante. She at least cares about people."

It seemed she was still hung up about the shooting thing. I would think that being accused of these things would help clear things up between us.

"You know I really wish that you were the one representing me." I told my sister. I knew that Joanna stood for the same things as Laurel, but at the same time, she wasn't Laurel. She was not my sister.

I knew I would have to find a way to execute my plan to clear my name. I knew that I could get out. I hoped that I would be able to get out of jail because it would be easier to operate that way. Maybe Joanna would be able to get the charges dropped, but that wouldn't do me a lot of good because there would still be people suspecting me. I couldn't have the public thinking of me as the vigilante regardless of whether or not the police had anything on me. The court of public opinion was just as bad as the court of law.

At that point, there was a knock on the door. Dad opened it and Joanna walked into the room.

"So, bad news. They're not dropping the charges. Detective Hilton is recusing himself. Instead someone named Detective Bowmen is taking over." Joanna explained.

"That's not good." Dad remarked.

"Why?" I asked.

"Detective Bowmen is youngest detective we have." He explained. "She progressed through the ranks quickly because she is extremely thorough in her investigation."

At that point, a tall woman with black hair and brown eyes walked into the room. She wore a leather jacket with a blue blouse and black pants. I wasn't expecting her to be so attractive.

"Ms. de la Vega, my name is Scarlett Bowmen. Tell your client that her arraignment is starting." She declared. She didn't seem to be very emotional.

I headed to my arraignment. I had a feeling that I would make bail considering how much money the Queens had.

"Ms. de la Vega, how does your client plea?" The judge asked.

"Innocent, your honor." Joanna remarked. "This case against my client is extremely circumstantial."

"Considering her connection to the Queens, the richest family in Starling City, we believe no bail should be filed." The prosecutor responded. Maybe this Detective Bowmen would be a problem.

"Objection, your honor." Joanna declared. "Just because Ms. Lance can make bail doesn't mean that she should be denied it, especially with no hard evidence against her."

"How do we know she won't leave town?" Bowmen suggested. "Her own bodyguard has had trouble keep track of her."

"Then make it easy to track her." Joanna suggested. "My client is willing to undergo house arrest and wear an ankle device."

I wasn't expecting that. I didn't want that, but it would probably help me better because I could prove my whereabouts for once. I couldn't say that I liked the idea though.

"Granted." The judge declared. "The defendant will be put on 15 million dollar bail and the fitting of an electronic monitoring device."

"You are just as good as Laurel." I remarked.

"You know I'm only doing this because your sister can't." She stated.

I went home and took my shoes off.

"This machine will go off if you leave the property." Bowmen declared. "Do you have any questions?"

"Yes, I'm going to have a party here tonight and I want to know if I can make it a pool party." I declared. I wanted to definitely make sure people knew where I was.

"Fortunately for you, this won't go off unless you leave the driveway or anywhere outside of the campus." She remarked. "That includes going over or underground."

"Excellent. Would you like to come?" I quipped.

"I don't know if a party is the best idea." Mrs. Queen replied.

"I'm stuck here for who knows how long. I might as well enjoy myself." I argued. "I know Halloween was last week, but do you think anyone would object to a costume party?"

"You probably shouldn't do this." Tommy opined. "I don't know if a party is in the best taste."

"Hey, I know I'm going to be fine. I have the 2nd best lawyer in town working for me." I pointed out.

A little bit later, Diggle came into my room.

"Thanks for coming. Shut the door." I told him.

"This is quite a mess that you got yourself into." He commented.

"I'm not in any mess." I pointed out.

"Sara, they got you on video." He argued.

"I knew there was a security camera. Why do you think I didn't put the hood on until I was out of its view?" I questioned. "I knew I would be arrested eventually, so I made sure that they could do it without any convincing evidence, but that's just part of the plan."

"You wanted to get arrested?" He asked.

"I knew that someone would make the connection about the suspicious arrival of the vigilante soon after my return to Starling City." I remarked.

"Well how does going to prison help you?" He responded.

"Diggle, I have a plan. It'll all become clear soon. I don't want to talk about what it is while Thea is still at school." I remarked. If they were both going to be working with me, I needed them both to be treated equally.

"Well I hope it's a good plan because your father and your sister are freaking out. You do not want to put them through a trial no matter how strong you think they are." He stated.

"There's not going to be a trial." I remarked confidently. I knew this plan was going to work. I knew that I could count on Diggle and Thea and I knew that I would be fine. I was a little worried, but I couldn't show my fear because I had to be strong for my family and friends.

The following day, Joanna and I went into the precinct where we met with the prosecutor and Detective Bowmen.

"Thank you for coming." Bowmen declared.

"Well considering this was my only chance to get out of the house, I jumped at it." I quipped as I sat down.

"So, let's start with the basics." The prosecutor said. "Detective Hilton made this arrest without consulting the district attorney so we're willing to accept a plea."

"No." I responded.

"Ms. Lance spent five years on an island cut off from civilization. She's most likely suffering from a form of PTSD." She continued. You know it was illegal for anyone other than a licensed therapist to diagnosis people. Or maybe it just wasn't a legal diagnosis. I forget sometimes. "Knowing that, we would support a plea of insanity that includes an extended stay at a psychiatric hospital."

"No. I'm not crazy." I remarked.

"These are very serious charges, Ms. Lance." Bowmen declared. "This is your only chance to accept the plea."

"How about I prove I'm not crazy?" I suggested. "I will take a lie detector test."

"She means that she'll take a private polygraph test." Joanna remarked. "If she doesn't pass, we will accept the plea."

"What she said." I agreed.

 _The men on the island started to take me somewhere. I wasn't sure what they wanted to do with me. It seemed like they weren't Chinese. I hoped that they didn't plan on selling me into slavery or trying to do things with me themselves. It seemed like they were doing something with weapons._

" _Please sit, m'lady." A British man declared. "You're making me feel like an ass."_

 _I nervously took a seat._

" _I apologize for how my men treated you. They are trained to view any stranger as hostile regardless of sex or age." He said as he poured himself a soda. "My name is Edward Fiers. What's your name, Sweetie."_

" _Sara Lance." I stated. I was hoping that he could help me get home. "I landed here after being shipwrecked. I don't know how long I've been here. I just want to go home. I can assure you that you would be paid handsomely for my return."_

" _Well that will be nice, but let's just talk right now." He suggested._

" _What do you want to talk about?" I questioned. He didn't seem to be interested in me sexually._

" _This man." He replied as he took out a picture. It looked kind of like the Chinese man. "Do you know this man?"_

" _No, I've never met him before." I lied._

" _You're a bad liar, Miss Lance." He declared. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way."_

" _I've never met him." I restated. "I thought I was alone here."_

" _Do you know what this island is named?" He asked. "We're on Lian Yu. It's Mandarin for Purgatory, but I can make it feel like Hell. Why would you protect him? Do you even know why? Think about that when you're with my men."_

 _I did not like the sound of that. I needed to do whatever I could because it sounded like he was going to offer me to them._

The next day, I found Thea on the deck.

"There's something that I want to talk to you about." I declared. She looked worried. "Hey, I'm going to get out of this."

"How can you be so sure?" She asked.

"Because I have a plan to clear my name." I assured her. "It's something that I wanted to talk to you about. So, I noticed that you have several archery trophies in your room."

"I don't see what that has to do with anything." She remarked.

"Well my plan starts with you not being invited to my party." I stated.

"I already know that you don't want me around all of that alcohol." She declared.

"I don't want you here at all." I replied. "I want you to be me."

"What?" She asked in surprise. I wasn't sure if she completely knew what I was talking about.

"I want you to go out tonight, wearing my hood and carrying my bow." I explained. "You don't need to kill anyone. I just need you to make sure that people notice you but you're not caught. Since the police will know that I'm here, they'll have no choice but to drop the charges."

"How do you know I can do this?" She responded. I would have to work on boosting her confidence.

"Because I believe in you and you're the only one you can." I pointed out.

Later that day, I was in the precinct yet again. I was hooked up to the lie detector.

"Is your name Sara Lance?" Bowmen asked me before she sat down.

"You don't know my name?" I questioned.

"These are just easy questions to test the polygraph." She explained. "Is your name Sara Lance?"

"Yes." I answered. I knew they would get harder.

"Were you born in Starling City on Christmas 1987?" She asked.

"Unfortunately, yes." I replied. Being born on Christmas sucked. I only got one set of presents.

"Is your hair green?" She inquired.

"No." I answered. "I tried to dye it in high school but my mom said no."

"Have you ever been to Iron Heights prison?" She asked. This was a question I could answer without giving her what she wanted.

"Yes." I responded. "My dad took me and my sister there a few times when we were kids."

"Are you the girl in this picture?" She inquired as she revealed an artist rendering.

"No." I remarked.

"Were you injured on Lian Yu?" She questioned.

"Yes." I responded. I hate what Fiers did to me. He thought he could break me by having one of his men rape me over and over. It didn't work. I wanted to die, but I fought on for my family. Some tears did form in my eyes. "I think we've asked enough questions."

Later that night, I was preparing for my party. I was dressed as a sexy Alice in Wonderland with a blue dress and white stockings with a blue headband and black Maryjanes. I was even wearing a heart ring. Thea and Diggle were in my room.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Diggle asked.

"This is the only way to end this quickly." I pointed out. "It doesn't matter if the charges are dropped if the public still thinks I'm the vigilante. I'll have an alibi and the heat will be off me. It'll be fine."

"But what if Thea gets caught instead?" He challenged.

"She won't." I replied. "We're talking about a girl whose childhood nickname was Speedy."

"I resent that nickname." Thea commented.

"Just take her to my lair." I instructed. "The bow and hood are there."

I knew Thea would be perfect for the job, not just because she was roughly the same height and weight as me, but also because she was like me. She wasn't as skilled as me, but she could learn. Maybe someday, I would even let her go out into the field with me, but that day was several days away.

I then headed out to my party. The music was loud and the people were dancing. There was all sorts of costumes. I was also pretty sure that some of the girls used it as an excuse to come in their underwear.

"Hey, everyone. Welcome to Wonderland." I announced. "It looks like I ended up in the right place before I fell down the rabbit hole. You can be as loud as you want. Just try not to stay outside."

I knew that Mrs. Queen wouldn't like it if my guest broke any of their things. They had a lot of priceless artifacts and I didn't want to be responsible for the destruction of them. The worst thing that could happen would be the lawn. That was easy to repair.

I went inside where champagne was being surprised and I was a little surprised at who walked in.

"Last I checked, you weren't my lawyer." I remarked. She was dressed as some kind of cat. It wasn't the best costume. She actually looked like she came up with the costume on short notice, like she had decided to come at the last minute. Joanna was not with her.

"But I am your sister." She pointed out. That would always be true. "I want to talk. Can I take you away from this ill-timed rave for a few minutes?"

"Wow, I don't think I've ever been in here." She admitted.

"So your costume looks like it needs some work." I quipped.

"I can't remember the last time that I went to a costume party." She declared.

"I do." I said. "It was Halloween 2005. You were going with Oliver to Tommy's party."

"Yeah, now I remember. I wore those awful fishnets." She replied. I thought she had looked good in them.

"There is something that I wanted to talk to you about." She replied. "There's something that I've been thinking about. When you first came back you gave me this."

She was holding the hosen that I had given her.

"It's an arrowhead." She stated.

"Laurel. I got that at the gift shop at the Beijing Airport." I lied. "Now I'm glad that I didn't get you the panda hoodie or you would think I was Panda Girl."

"Well Dad feels awful about what Detective Hilton did and he's thinking about requesting a different partner." She explained. Could he even do that?

"I don't think he should do that." I opined. "Detective Hilton made a mistake, but I don't think it should be held against him. He and Dad have been friends and partners for years. Why don't you hate me?"

"I never hated you." She responded. "No matter how mad I get at you, I want you to know that I'll always love you. Even if you are this vigilante, which I don't think you are, it won't make me loved you any less."

At that moment, I thought about telling her the truth, but I decided not to because I felt that enough people knew already.

"There's one thing." She added. "I need to see your scars."

"Well we need to make sure the door is locked." I declared. I was a little nervous even though my sister had seen me naked before. I lowered my dress and removed my bra and let her look. It was a good thing that we were sisters because otherwise it would be easy for someone to get the wrong idea. There would probably still be some that could get the wrong idea. Those people probably needed help. What kind of person would want siblings to fuck?

 _I was tied to a cot. Even after everything that had happened, I still wasn't going to give Fiers what he wanted._

" _Amazing. Most women would have given up by now." He remarked. "Or perhaps she actually doesn't know anything. Put her out of her misery."_

 _At that point, Yao Fei came to my rescue. He helped me out of the tent. I grabbed the shirt I had been wearing. I wondered if I would ever be able to get some real clothes. I would even settle for animal skin if there were animals big enough._

A few minutes later, after Laurel had left, I got a call from Thea.

"So, I managed to break up an arms deal." She replied. "I know you didn't want me to do anything, but isn't this the kind of thing that you do? You're supposed to protect the city?"

"I'm just glad that you're alright." I remarked. "Did you make sure that people saw you?"

"Yes." She replied. "Can I come to your party now?"

"If you're going to wear a costume, it needs to be a different one." I explained even though I knew she was smarter than that. At that point, there was a knock on my door. "Yes?"

"Ms. Lance, you've been up here for a while." A man said. "Should I have some drinks sent up?"

"No, I'll be right down." I declared as I opened the door and realized that the man had a gun.

Suddenly, a fight broke out between us. I didn't know the man but I assumed he wanted to kill me because he thought I was the vigilante. That was why I needed to be exonerated in the court of public opinion. People would come after me and my family if they even thought I was her and I wanted to protect them. He grabbed the gun but before he could shoot, he was shot first. I noticed that Bowmen was holding the gun.

"You actually came." I remarked.

Fifteen minutes later, Thea was back and my dad was there, along with Hilton.

"How did you know I was in trouble?" I asked the woman.

"That broke your ankle monitor when he was fighting you." She declared. "Guess we'll have to get you a new one."

"This is your fault." Dad told Hilton. "Publicly accusing my daughter has made her a target and you also put me and Laurel at risk."

"I'm sorry." Hilton apologized as he started to remove the ankle monitor.

"What are you doing, Detective?" Bowmen asked.

"The chief called. The vigilante was spotted in the Glades tonight, so obviously we got the wrong person." He explained. "In light of these events, all charges against Sara are being dropped."

At they point, all of the police, including my father started to leave.

"Detective Bowmen." I remarked. She stopped and looked at me. Now she wasn't trying to put me in jail, she was kind of hot. "Thank you."

The following day, Thea and I were out back together.

"You know it was really fun being out there like that." She stated.

"Well you probably shouldn't expect to do it again anytime soon." I told her. I did wish I could see how she looked in my hood though.

"So, you were totally checking that detective out." She remarked. I just smiled.

 _Yao Fei took me back to the cave and I laid down. I was still in pain, both physically and emotionally. I really hoped that I wouldn't get pregnant, especially since there was no way for abortion or adoption on the island._

" _I tell you island dangerous but you no lead them to me." He declared. "I'll lead them off while you stay here and rest."_

I then went inside and found that Laurel was there.

"Dad told me what happened." She stated. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, it's just a bruise or two." I declared. "It's not the worst thing that's ever happened to me."

"What was the worst thing that happened to you on the island?" She asked. I hesitated. I hadn't ever told anyone about it. I was still nervous about telling her.

"I was…raped." I admitted. "I was captured by some men and they used it as a method of torture. I try not to think about it because it only brings me pain."

"Sara, I'm so sorry." She replied as she gave me a tight hug.

"You know why I don't tell people what happened or why I don't show them my scars?" I asked her. She didn't respond. "Because if people knew what happened to me, they would think of me as damaged."

That night, I was with Thea and Diggle in the lair. I told them what I had told her because I felt that if we were going to work together, they needed to know.

"Did that really happen to you?" Thea asked before she too gave me a hug. It made me feel different.

"Yeah." I admitted.

"You know I don't know if you stopped to considering how much this crusade of yours could affect the people in your life or how much it could hurt them." Diggle remarked.

"You're wrong." I replied. "I think about it all the time. The last thing that I want to do hurt my father or my sister. Also, not being able to tell them the truth hurts more than anything that happened on that island. Now I believe that it's time to deal with this dealer."

If you guessed Thea would the vigilante, you were right. If you guessed Laurel would represent her, you were wrong. Scarlet is played by Crystal Reed and named The Scarlet Bowmen from the Green Arrow comics. Please don't forget to review.


	6. Legacies

I was sparring with Thea this time. I needed to make sure that I didn't leave any marks. I stopped right before hitting her in the face.

"That's variable acceleration. When your opponent is working at the same pace, you switch it up and throw your opponent off their game."

"Where'd you learn that?" She asked me.

"A man named Yao Fei." I answered.

"Did he give you those scars?" She questioned.

"Some of them." I replied.

"What I want to know is how come you won't hit her like you'll hit me." Diggle asked. There was a good reason for that.

"Because people care about what happens to my face." Thea responded. That was basically it, but I probably would have said it differently. "So, are you ever gonna tell us the full story of what happened on the island besides the getting raped?"

"I'll tell you everything." I declared before I hit her in the back, knocking her off her feet. "But it won't be today."

"You still have some pretty sweet moves." Diggle commented as Thea got back to her feet.

"Yeah, I'm going to use some on him." I declared as I pulled up something on my computer. "Scott Morgan runs water and power in the Glades. He jacks up prices later in the year and shuts them down when they can't pay, even if it's freezing outside."

"That's still a month away." Thea pointed out as she took out her iPad. "You could do something about this. This is a group of bank robbers who have been hitting several cities across the nation. The media calls them The Royal Flush Gang. They shot an off-duty cop. He's currently in a coma and it's apparently a 50-50 chance of whether or not he's going to live."

"Since he's a cop, that's probably something better suited for my dad." I pointed out.

"No disrespect to your father, but the police are overwhelmed and underfunded." Diggle stated. "I've done my research too. These guys have been known to hit two or three banks per city."

"They're planning their next job as we speak." Thea added.

"I think you two have the wrong idea about what I do." I explained.

"You take out bad guys with a bow and arrow." Diggle pointed out.

"I'm not going to bother fighting street crime." I argued as I turned and went back to the table. "It's a symptom of what's wrong with the city. I'm trying to cure the disease."

"Sara, I understand that you want to deal with these CEOs and crooked people because my dad told you to." Thea declared. "But don't you think that there's more than one way to make a difference in this city?"

"Your father died so I could live." I pointed out. "I'm not saying that I know him better than you do, but this is what he wanted me to find and I want to save this city by eliminating the threats that he left me. Every name I cross off honors his name and your brother's as well."

"Well maybe they would want you to save this city." Thea replied.

"You're the one who told me that dead people don't want things." I stated.

"It sounds like you have a narrow definition of being a hero." She stated. "Now you should take me home. I'll get my coat."

"I'm not a hero." I responded after she walked away.

 _On the island, I looked at the empty book as I huddled up by the fire. I could really use some more clothes. I would take pretty much anything, even bellbottoms at this point. It was at that point that I saw Oliver in front of me._

The next morning, Thea and I went downstairs for breakfast. She was talking about her mom.

"Haven't you noticed that she's been feeling down lately?" She asked. "Wait, of course you don't."

"Since when do you pay attention to what your mom is feelings?" I questioned.

"Since my stepfather decided to take a sudden business trip halfway around the world." She explained.

"I think whenever someone who makes as much as Mr. Steele takes a business trip, it's always sudden." I pointed out. "You shouldn't worry."

"Ah, guess who I just hung up with?" Mrs. Queen asked. She didn't look down. "Janice Bowen, Carter's mother."

"Carter Bowen, the perfect son." Thea declared.

"Is he perfect?" Mrs. Queen responded.

"According to you, he is." Thea pointed out. "'Carter Bowen is leading the chess team.' 'Carter Bowen is anchoring the debate team'."

"I'm sure I didn't make that much of a fuss." Mrs. Queen declared with a frown.

"Even I know you did." I replied. "Thea, Carter Bowen just got accepted into Harvard and Princeton. That's because he got a perfect score on his SATs."

"Now he did he have time to do that and cure cancer?" Thea asked.

"Okay, I get it." Mrs. Queen relented. "Well they're coming for lunch tomorrow and I expect you to be there."

"Sara, didn't we have that thing tomorrow?" Thea asked. "Looks like I can't come."

"Well you can reschedule because I expect both of you to be here." The woman relied. "As long as you're staying here, you'll do these things. I haven't seen them in years and I'm sure they would love to see the two of you."

I sighed. The house had a lot more to offer than my sister or father's one-bedroom apartments. I supposed I could.

"We'll be there." I assured her before she walked away.

"You're going to pay me back for this." Thea declared.

At that time, my phone began to ring. It was Diggle.

"Hello, Diggle." I answered.

"You know your friend Scott Morgan from your list. He tried to kill himself. Maybe he was afraid of getting a visit from you." He explained. What? "How fast can you get to Starling General?"

"I'm on my way." I declared as I headed for the door. However, before I was able to leave, it opened and Tommy walked into the house.

"Hey, just the girl I wanted to see." He stated. "I'm thinking we can open her up, pick up a few speeding tickets and a few ladies."

"I'm sorry. I can't right now." I replied before I left.

I headed down to the hospital and found Diggle was outside.

"You know I was thinking that Scott Morgan doesn't seem like the type to try to kill himself." I remarked.

"True, but that was the best lie I could come up with on short notice." He replied as I noticed someone being pulled out of an ambulance. At that point, a woman walked over to us.

"Mr. Diggle." She said as she shook his hand. "I can't thank you enough for arranging to move my husband from County Ward to Starling General. Now I know he's getting the best care."

"You really should be thanking this woman, Sara Lance. She's paying the bill." Diggle declared. I really hoped Mrs. Queen would be okay with this. "Janna's husband Stan is a police officer. He happened to be making a deposit at Starling Trust Bank when it was attacked."

"I was so sorry to hear about your husband." I remarked. "Is he going to be okay?"

"The doctors say that the next 24 hours are critical." She explained. "He should have just kept his head down."

"Well police officers always want to do what's right." I replied. "That's what my dad tells me."

"Thank you." She told me.

"You're welcome." I replied before she walked away. "What the fuck, Diggle?"

"Well you asked me to work with you, not for you." He explained. "You also said you know the kind of man I am. Well I'm the kind of man that doesn't walk away when there's an opportunity to make a difference and neither does Stan Washington. Where are you going?"

"To go make a difference. Let's pick Thea up and go catch some bank robbers." I declared.

We went to the lair and started to look at the footage.

"That guy sure has a temper." Thea remarked.

"He's the one who shot Officer Washington." Diggle declared. I started to look closer.

"He's got a college ring." I responded.

"More likely high school." Diggle replied. He was probably right, even though it was wrong to assume that he didn't go to college just because he was a bank robber.

"Yeah, but even with photo enhancement, it will have left an impression that would be in evidence lockout." I explained. For once, I could do something without breaking the law.

"Please tell me you're not going to break in." He said.

"No, I'm going to ask my dad if he'll let me see it." I replied.

It turned out that my dad wasn't there. However, there was a familiar face.

"Detective Bowman." I greeted her.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"I was looking for my dad. I talked to Stan Washington's wife and I was wondering if you had made any progress in identifying the suspects yet." I declared. "I had a suggestion. Maybe you could look to see if anyone was able to identify class rings."

"We did notice a ring. It was from Larchmont High." She explained. "Now, I don't want to tell you any more about this ongoing investigation."

"One more thing. Can I buy you dinner sometime?" I questioned. "It's the least I could do to thank you for saving my life."

Yes, I knew that dating a cop be a bad idea, but there was something about her that drew me to her.

"I'll think about it." She replied as he handed me a business card. "Don't call me about business, especially not this investigation."

I then went back to the lair.

"Why are you blushing?" Thea asked me. I didn't know I was.

"I ran into Detective Bowman and she gave me not only the name of the school but also her number." I stated. "Now let's get to work. I'm going to cross-reference the group of males from his graduating class and then look for any that are off the grid and not dead.

I did a little bit of typing and got just one.

"There's Kyle Reston." I replied. "He and his family have been off the grid for years."

"There were two others involved in this robbery." Thea said. You know she was great at observation. She could do well in school if she put effort into it. Of course, I didn't put a lot of effort into school either.

"And a woman." I added. "Aside from Stan Washington, there were 22 customers and employees that came out. The problem is that there were 23 other people in the bank. So, we're looking for a family and we can resume our search after Thea and I meet with the Bowen family."

In the morning, I wore a pink lace sleeveless dress and pink flats.

"It's so good to see you, Sara." Mrs. Bowen declared before she hugged me and kissed my cheek. "How are your father and sister?"

"They're fine." I replied. "They're just happy that I'm home."

"And you returned a celebrity." Carter replied as he shook my hand.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Well you survived a trip to hell and back, There's a bidding war for your life story. At least that's what my agent says." He replied.

"Why does a neurosurgeon need an agent?" I questioned.

"It's crazy right." He stated. He then started to speak basically scientific gibberish. "…and next there's an agent trying to make me the next Dr. Oz."

"He's that guy from Oprah, right?" I asked.

"Well I just think that as Starling City's more fortunate, we should help those in need." Carter suggested. "Don't you agree, Sara?"

"Yeah, so don't be mad at me, but I had that police officer from the robbery moved to Starling General." I explained.

"So, now that you're back, what are your plans?" Mrs. Bowen asked.

"I'm going to be opening a nightclub." I explained.

"Miss Lance, your liquor distributor is on the line." Diggle interrupted before whispering into my ear. "First Bank of Starling was hit two minutes ago."

"I'm so sorry, but duty calls." I declared as I noticed Thea mouthing that she hated me. She then followed me out.

"You can't just leave me here." She said.

"Look, they're attacking now and I have to go. You need to be here much more than I do." I apologized. I did feel bad that I had to leave her behind.

Diggle had explained to me that they would try to escape through some tunnels underground and I knew that I should meet them there. It was a good idea considering that there were cops everywhere. There were even some in the tunnels. A small shootout had even started. I decided to shoot the bag of money out of one of the guys' hands. I then noticed the cops had their sights on me and I shot the lights out before making my escape. It was time for me to figure how to make it up to Thea.

I needed to find more information if I was going to catch them. I had a feeling that I couldn't go back to the police, so I decided to go to Queen Consolidated.

"I should add personal internet researcher for Sara Lance to my job title." Felicity declared.

"His name is Kyle Reston." I declared. "I went out with him a few times before I went on the boat and I can't find him on Facebook, so I was wondering if you could give me anything that I can use to find him."

"Well there's nothing recent, no credit, no bills, but his dad did work at the Steel Factory." She explained. "Derek Reston worked there for 15 years before it shut in 2007. He was the factory foreman until Mr. Queen outsourced production to China. 1500 employees got laid off. The accountants even found a loophole, so they didn't have to pay severance or pensions to their employees. A lot of them lost their homes, including the Derek Reston."

Once we were outside, I began to speak.

"So, the factory workers went to a bar. I'm hoping Derek wants to take a stroll down memory lane." I told him.

"What are you going to do if he is there?" He questioned.

"I'm going to give him the chance to do the right thing." I replied.

"Sara, he already had his chance to do the right thing. It's called not being a criminal." He pointed out.

"I promised Mr. Queen that I would save the city and right the wrongs of the corrupt and I realize that includes him." I replied.

"The Restons aren't the victims." He declared.

"I'm going to give him one chance to make it right." I replied as headed out. I needed to do it the right way.

He was there and he was playing blackjack. Now I knew where the Royal Flush theme came from. Once everyone left the table, I went over.

"Mind if I have a seat?" I questioned.

"Sara Lance, the lost child returns." He remarked. "I didn't figure you for someone who would hang out in the Glades."

"Well I'm building a nightclub out here." I responded.

"You know the last time I saw your father, he was leading the charge to break up the strike and take my guys off of the premises." He explained. Okay…so it wasn't just Mr. Queen he had some ill will against.

"Mr. Queen made some mistakes. My father was just following orders. You were hurt and in trouble and I think you made the wrong choice." I replied. "Now you still the chance to make the right choices for you and your family. They don't have to define you."

"Choices don't help me get my house back." He pointed out.

"Well a job might." I replied. "I've grown close to the Queen family and I could get them to give you a job anywhere in the country, or I could even give you a job at my club."

"How about I say fuck you?" He suggested. "You think I want charity from the daughter of the man who cut off my last hope, the girl who was screwing the son of the man who took that away from me?"

"Okay, but if you change your mind, let me know." I declared. "You and I are both dealing with the consequences of Mr. Queen's actions. We can't change the past, but we can change the future."

Of course, I also planted a bug on him as I left. It would allow me to know if they were going to go to another bank and when they planned on doing it.

While I was listening, Thea walked into the lair.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"I dropped a bug on Derek Reston." I replied. "I thought it would be good to have the upper hand on them."

"I thought John said you were giving him a second chance?" She questioned.

"I am, but I'm also not an idiot." I pointed out as I turned the audio back on. I heard things that I didn't want to hear before turning it off.

"So, what are you going to do now?" She asked me.

"I'm going to take them down." I replied.

"Well let's hope they don't do anything during Tommy's benefit for your sister." She replied. "This would be a good chance to ask that detective out."

That led to us going together. I handed Diggle written instructions to contact me as soon as he heard about the Restons making a move. I wore a black floor-length evening gown and black crystal heels while my date was dashing in a red gown. Her hair was even tied up. She looked so different out of her uniform.

"So, now I can why they call you Scarlett." I joked. "You look beautiful."

"Careful with the quips. I still have my gun." She retorted.

"Excuse me, Miss Lance, can I have a word?" Diggle interrupted before he whispered the location.

At that time, I heard Scarlett's phone go away.

"Damn it." She said. It looked like we were headed to the same event.

I would have to get changed quickly. I could help but be a little annoyed that this stuff kept happening when I was in my finest dresses because they weren't the easiest to get out of. I made my entrance to the bank. It was just Derek and Kyle this time.

"Kyle Reston." I greeted him as I fired at him. Instead, he pulled out a shield.

"I came prepared." He remarked before he started shooting at me. When he wasn't looking, I shot him in the chest, not near anything vital. He seemed tough and like he was also wearing layers.

We began to brawl inside of the building as I noticed the security was awake and he had a shotgun. That seemed a little excessive if you asked me.

"Hey, I've got this under control." I remarked. At that time, Derek came out and I shot the gun out of his hand.

"Drop your weapons." The guard ordered. Kyle didn't listen and the guard fired. Derek dove in front of it, taking the hit.

"He's bleeding out. Call an ambulance now!" I told him before he ran off.

I knew that chances were he wasn't going to make it. I thought about lowering my hood, but didn't because they were cameras and I didn't want to get arrested again.

"Where is Kyle?" Derek asked.

"He's okay." I stated. "He's just knocked out."

"It wasn't his fault. I did this to my son." He declared.

 _On the island, the hallucination of Oliver showed the book and held it by the fire before disappearing. I decided to do the same and suddenly a bunch of names started to appear._

I made my exit. I couldn't help but feel upset. I knew I had to head home. As soon as I got there, I got a call from Scarlett. I knew she had been there because I heard her voice as I was leaving. Things were going to be complicated with her.

"Hi." I answered.

"Hey, I'm sorry I had to bail on you. Something came up at work. It looks like we caught the robbers, only one of them didn't make it." She explained. "He was shot by a security guard."

"That's too bad." I responded.

"But I have some good news." She added. "Stan Washington awoke from his coma. He is going to be okay."

"That's good to hear." I replied.

"I'd like to make it up to you sometime." She stated. "It's late. I should probably let you sleep. I'm sorry I couldn't do this in person."

At that point, a car woke up. It was Tommy and Thea was in the passenger seat.

"What happened?" I asked.

"I had a little bit too much to drink." She replied. Technically one glass was too much to drink.

"I've got it from here, Tommy." I assured him before he drove off. "So, did your night suck as much as mine did?"

"How did yours go?" She questioned.

"Well I stopped the robbery, but Derek Reston is dead. I wanted him to get out of it, but he didn't. I couldn't save him no matter how hard I tried." I explained. "So, what happened to you?"

"Not only did I make a fool of myself, but I tried to kiss Tommy." She answered. "I think I figured out why you like girls so much. Boys are too much trouble."

"Well, even if I didn't have to leave, my date would have because we were on the same case." I remarked. "Let's go inside."

"You know I think you honored my dad more than taking down any of those guys on the list tonight." She replied. "He would be proud of you. Ollie would be proud of you as well."

"You know I would have an easier time believing you if you weren't drunk." I quipped. At that point, I noticed Mrs. Queen was still up.

"I'm sorry, Mom." Thea apologized.

"You know I'm kind of used to these things happening by now." Mrs. Queen admitted. Oliver really hadn't been the best son.

"Well I'm sorry too." I declared. "I made a promise that I would be there for you with the Bowens and I couldn't live up to it. I think I have an idea to make it up to you and I think Thea could use some food so she doesn't get a bad hangover."

It led to the three of us heading to Big Belly Burger. It made me think of the times that I had been with my dad and Laurel. I wished that I could hang out with them more. I was getting closer with them. When we got our food, Mrs. Queen grabbed her fork and knife. I couldn't help but giggle a little.

"Mom, it's a burger." Thea told her. She then put the utensils down and took a bite.

"Mmm, that is a great burger." Mrs. Queen declared. "Thank you two for this."

"We wouldn't have it any other way." Thea stated.

"I bet Carter Bowen before doesn't know where to get the best burger in Starling City." Her mother replied.

"Well at least I'm not a total screwup." Thea retorted.

"You are not a screwup." Mrs. Queen assured her. I couldn't help but smile.

So, this story is back. Sara went on a date with Scarlett that did not go well. Also I had to bring Thea along at the end because it would be weird for Moira and Sara to go somewhere alone and it was also a family thing. Please don't forget to review.


	7. Muse of Fire

I was riding around on my bike. I was wearing a white camisole and jeans with a leather jacket because it could get cold on my bike. I heard my phone going off and stopped to answer my Bluetooth headset.

"Hello?" I answered.

"My mom said to remind you to pick her up for lunch" Thea told me.

"Was I supposed to have lunch with her?" I asked. I didn't remember agreeing to that. Though, I did think I was supposed to have lunch with Laurel soon.

"She said she left you like five messages." Thea added. "Just bite the bullet and have a cob salad with the woman."

"You know sometimes you act like you're my mother." I commented before I hung up.

I pulled up to Queen Consolidated and waved at her. Suddenly, a second motorcycle showed up. This person had a gun.

"Get down!" I shouted as the driver fired. The man she was talking to was hit and Mrs. Queen fell to the ground. I ran over to her. "Mrs. Queen, are you alright?"

"I'm fine." She said as I helped her up. The man next to her looked dead. "I'm fine. I'm going to be okay."

"Call 911." I told a bystander before I started to run after the driver. Why I didn't just get back on my own bike, I didn't know. In the end, they got away. I probably should have definitely got on my bike.

I met up with Thea at the hospital. I probably should have stayed with Mrs. Queen but in the moment, I thought the best idea was to take down the shooter. Logic isn't always the first thing to come to mind when you're in a crisis. I just hoped that Thea wouldn't be too mad at me for leaving her.

"Are you okay?" I asked her. She was in a bed.

"I'm fine." She stated before she looked at Thea. "Did you call Walter?"

"I wasn't able to get a hold of him." Thea answered.

"So, the CT scan showed signs of a Grade 2 concussion." The doctor explained. I had had a concussion before, but I didn't know what Grade it was. "She can go home as long as long as someone stays with her to make sure that there are no aftereffects."

"Thank you, Doctor." Thea declared. I wondered if this was something that I could talk to my dad about or even my girlfriend. Was she my girlfriend? It was probably too soon to call her that after one date. It'd probably be best just to call her Scarlett.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left." I apologized. "I thought you were okay."

"What were you trying to accomplish?" She asked me.

"I wanted to…get the license plate of the guy who shot at you." I lied. That probably would have been easier than outright trying to catch them.

"Well that was very foolish of you." Mrs. Queen remarked. I would have to see if I could find the person who did it.

At that point, Thea took me out into the hallway.

"Do have any idea how stupid that was? You were never going to catch a guy on a motorcycle on foot." She told me. "Not to mention, you left her hurt and scared."

"Okay, I get it. I messed up!" I explained.

"Well you're going to fix it, aren't you?" She questioned.

"Of course I am. I am going to kill this guy for attacking her." I told her.

"No, you need to let me do it." Thea stated. "No one hurts my mom."

"Thea, I am not going to let you become a killer." I replied. "Not to mention, she's your mother, so you need to stay with her."

At that point, my dad and Hilton showed up. So, he was dealing with it.

"Daddy, do you have any leads on the shooter?" I asked.

"Not yet, do you have anything?" He retorted.

"All I know is that he was wearing a helmet." I explained.

"We do know that Mrs. Queen was the target." Dad declared. "The other guy was involved in the mob. She just ended up getting caught in the crossfire."

That actually did give me a lead. I just had to see if I could connect it to any other murders or attacks. That couldn't be too hard.

That night, I went to the lair and started to kick the punching bag hard. I was mostly letting out my anger at the shooter, but also at myself for making a bad decision.

"So, do have any idea why anyone would go after Mrs. Queen?" Diggle asked me. There probably were reasons people would go after her, but no one did go after her. It was just a coincidence.

"She wasn't the target." I declared as I pointed at my monitor. "That man was. Paul Copani was trying to close a deal with her when they were shot at. Copani works for Bertinelli construction and Frank Bertinelli."

"You mean Frank Bertinelli the mob boss?" He asked.

"Yes, and Copani isn't the first member of Bertenelli's crew to be killed." I explained. "He has a lot of enemies and the best way to figure out who is targeting his organization is to get inside it."

"So, your reaction to seeing Mrs. Queen get shot at is to come up with some stupid plan to go undercover with the mob?" He asked.

"It's not a stupid plan." I argued.

"Have you ever thought about maybe just letting this one go?" He questioned. "Unless Frank Bertinelli is on that list, he's not your problem and if he is, someone taking out mobsters doesn't seem like someone doing a lot of harm to this city."

"You may be right, but the Queens are like family to me and this person made it personal." I declared.

The following night, I was wearing a blue business dress with a pink sash around the waist and black heels. I saw Thea coming down looking hot. Why did she have be so attractive for someone who was 17.

"So, what are we doing tonight?" She asked.

"Thea, you're supposed to be watching her." I explained. "I have to go see Frank Bertinelli to find out who is killing all of his men"

"First off, what the fuck?" She replied. "Second, if you're going to do this I want to part of this. What exactly is going to be your cover for this anyway?"

"I want to reopen the discussion that he was having with your mother." I declared. It actually was a good excuse, even if I wasn't the best person to do it.

"Well that's more reason for me to go because I own 10 percent of Queen Consolidated. It used to be five, but I supposed she got Oliver's shares when he died."

"Who is going to watch her if you're here?" I challenged.

"John." She answered.

"No." I remarked.

"I can get out of here before you and you know that it wouldn't be a good idea for me to go by myself." She stated. I shouldn't have been surprised that she was being so stubborn. She was right and I knew that it would be very awkward if I had to spend the night alone with Mrs. Queen.

"Give me five minutes to tell Diggle." I declared.

At that point, Tommy walked in.

"Hey, Speedy, I heard about your mother." He stated. I knew the door tended to be open, but couldn't he at least knock? "Is she alright?"

"Yeah, she's upstairs resting." Thea answered. "We were just about to leave."

"So, I have something that I need to tell you." Tommy remarked. "I didn't want you to find this out from someone else, but your sister and I are going to dinner as in a date."

"That's good." I told him. "My sister deserves someone like you."

She probably did. I wished that I could say more, but I had to take Thea along to my ill-conceived idea, which seemed like an even worse idea with her coming along. I just prayed that she wouldn't mess anything up.

"Oh and by the way if you hurt her, I'll kill you." I added. He didn't look amused. "I'm just kidding."

Though, he probably did have to worry about our dad doing something to him.

Soon, Thea and I were at the Bertinelli mansion. His house could almost compete with the Queens'. I hadn't told him I was bringing Thea. He answered the door.

"Mr. Bertinelli." I greeted.

"Miss Lance…and Miss Queen." He remarked. "Also, please call me Frank."

"Well in that call me Sara." I stated. "I know you're surprised that I brought Thea with me. I just thought since I don't actually have any real stake in the company, it would be a good idea to bring someone who does."

"Well thanks for agreeing to me in my home." He told us.

"My dad used to say that living rooms make the best conference rooms." Thea stated.

"I'm going to have to steal that one." Frank replied. "Come let's have some drinks, I can even prepare a virgin."

"Oh, I am not a virgin to alcohol." Thea remarked. "I'll have what she's having."

At that point, I noticed a woman with dark brown hair wearing a black dress at the top of the stairs.

"So, I have to admit that I'm surprised that you wanted to talk." He declared as he gave us our drinks. "It was my understanding that Mrs. Queen did not want our contracts. If you don't know. I want to build the new Oliver Queen Applied Science Building."

"I'm considering giving it to you." Thea replied.

"How is your mother by the way?" He asked.

"She's recuperating at home." I stated.

"Your father is a member of SCPD, isn't he?" Frank said to me.

"He is and I'll have you know that he's on the case right now." I answered. "If he finds anything out, he'll let you know."

"Paul was a good friend and a good man. Ugh, the violence in this city." Frank replied as he wiped a tear from his eye. There was a little bit of irony to him saying that.

"Well it's our home." Thea replied.

At that point, the woman from the stairs walked in and said something in Italian.

"You always end up back home." She declared. She looked sexy. If I wasn't with Scarlett, I might be interested.

"Sara, Thea, this is my daughter, Helena." Frank introduced as the two of us stood up.

"I'm going out." Helena declared.

"Take one of the guys with you." Frank ordered.

"I can take of myself." Helena replied. You know I was actually siding with him because someone was hunting down his associates, so they could go after his daughter as well.

"I wasn't asking." Frank replied. At that point, his associate interrupted saying that someone wanted to meet with him immediately. That was unfortunate.

"We can come back later." I suggested.

"No, no." He replied before looking at Helena. "Just give us a minute."

He and Helena then walked into the kitchen.

"There's something off about her." Thea whispered.

The two of them walked back out a minute later.

"Sara, Thea, something has come up, but Helena would love to take you to dinner and discuss the deal further." He suggested.

"Oh, I was hoping to talk to you." I declared. I doubted that I would be able to find anything out from her.

"Well as Thea speaks for her family, my daughter speaks for mine." Frank told us. I had a feeling that it was going to be a very awkward dinner.

"Helena, it's such a treat to see you tonight." The restaurant owner declared. That was him sucking up to her like he thought she would tell her daddy if she had a bad experience. I wondered if any of the guys I dated thought that of me. "You'll tell your father…hello from us?"

"Of course." Helena declared before they left. "So, Thea, I heard about your mother's accident? Is she okay?"

"She'll be fine." Thea declared as we looked over the menu. They had dishes I had never even heard of before. I hoped I wouldn't order something that I didn't like.

"I'm glad." Helena stated. I didn't know why, but the way she said sounded strange. "So why would you want to go into business with my father? I know you both know who he is and how he made his money."

"You don't approve of your father's work?" I asked her.

"We share a name and that name defines us whether we like it or not." Helena explained. "You've already made judgments about me and I've already made judgments about you two."

"What are your judgments based on my name?" I questioned. I always wondered what people thought of me in regards to my family.

"Your father is in SCPD and your sister is an rising star attorney." Helena explained.

"And I'm Lindsay Lohan's younger sister." Thea declared. "I'm pretty sure that she turned out okay, so I can live with that."

"There is one thing that I want to know. I know you were alone on the island, but was there ever a day when you were happy to be away from everything?" Helena questioned.

"The only days I was happy to be away were the days on the boat." I declared. "No, I always wanted to go back, even though I couldn't."

We were the last ones to leave the restaurant. I knew they wouldn't kick us out. I wanted to leave a little while but Thea had a hunch. She wouldn't tell me what it was because she didn't want to be wrong. I was glad that I wasn't alone with her because then Scarlett might find out about it, even though I didn't even know if we were exclusive. For all I knew, she was on a date. I really hoped she wasn't.

"So, what did you really miss the most?" Helena questioned.

"That's easy. I missed my family. I missed my sister. I missed my dad. I missed my mom, even though I haven't seen her much."

"Where did you get that cross?" Thea asked as I noticed the cross around her neck.

"It was a gift from my fiancé." Helena declared.

"So, you're engaged then?" I questioned. I assumed it was to man because the mob was about tradition.

"You can't be engaged to a dead man." She retorted. At that point, my phone rang.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hey, it's Dig. Mrs. Queen is asleep." He explained. "Also something's come up and the two of you need to get out of there."

"We need to go. We need to check on Thea's mother." I responded before we hastily exited.

Once outside, I called back and put it on speaker so Thea could hear.

"So, why did we need to leave now?" I questioned.

"Well I did some research. Frank Bertinelli's enforcer has been visiting people that owe the mob protection money and has put four people in the hospital." Diggle explained.

"How did you have time to do this?" Thea asked.

"We're not trying to take down the whole mob." I told him.

"Sara, these are innocent people getting hurt and if you don't stop him, the poor bastard that owns Russo's is gonna be next." He declared.

"Wait, that's wear we are right now." I stated. "Thea and I were here with Helena."

"You two were supposed to undercover not having a threesome." He replied.

"We didn't exactly have a choice." Thea pointed out.

"He's here." I declared before hanging up. I turned to Thea "You need to hide."

"I can help you." She remarked.

"Even if that was true, you don't have a costume or a weapon." I explained. "We can talk about this later, but right now I need to do this alone."

I went into the restaurant and shot out the power.

"Run!" I told the Russos. Shots started to be fired before the mysterious assassin showed up. I started to fight before I realized that I was fighting another woman. That must have been what Thea's hunch was. I broke the helmet and sure enough, it was Helena.

From there, the two of us went to talk to Diggle at the house.

"I don't understand. Why is she targeting her family?" I questioned.

"What if her fiancé was killed by her father?" Thea surmised. "The point is we need to take her down. And this time I mean we. I don't care if I have to buy something from the costume store, I am going to help you."

"Okay, let's do it." I agreed. "But if we don't do this the right way, we could wind up on Bertinelli's hit list, not to mention her father could have her killed."

"We could kill her instead?" Thea suggested.

"If we have to kill her, I need to be the one to do it." I declared. I then looked her cold in the eye. "I am not going to let you become a killer. Whenever you take your first life, it changes you. I was forced into a position where I had no choice, but I'm not going to let you do that."

The following day, I heard a knock at the door. I was surprised to see my father.

"What were you and Thea doing at Russo's last night with Helena Bertinelli?" He asked.

"We were having dinner. We were representing the company on a business deal and she was representing her father's." I explained.

"Okay, for one that would be business suicide and I seriously hope no deal was made." He remarked. "Second, as your father, I don't want you anywhere near her. Her family is bad news and I've already lost you once. I can't lose you again."

"Daddy, I'm not into her or anything." I declared. "I've actually started seeing Detective Bowman."

"You're going out with someone who tried to put you in jail?" He asked in confusion.

"Actually, your partner tried to put me in jail." I pointed out. "She just replaced him, Not to mention she saved my life."

"Well I hope you know what you're doing." He declared.

Later that night, we got a lead on Helena's location. She was in the cemetery.

"I don't want to attack her while she's visiting her fiancé's grave." I declared. It just seemed pretty low.

"Okay, that would be pretty wrong." Thea agreed. "We'll give her this one free pass, but next time we find her, we need to take her down. Sara, I get it. You've never dealt with a hot woman before, but she is dangerous. It doesn't matter why she turned to a life of crime. The important part is we can't let her get away."

"Helena just got kidnapped by her father's men." Diggle told us. Part of me wanted to just let the situation resolve itself but that would be a bad idea. I couldn't just let them kill her because it wouldn't feel like justice.

"Well, looks like we have to save her." I retorted. I turned to Thea. "If we let them deal with her, she won't get justice. As a matter of fact, she's more useful alive. We might be able to convince her to testify against her father because I'm sure the police would love to put him away."

"If she doesn't, what do we do?" She asked.

"As long as we can put her away, that's all that matters." I pointed out. "Actually, I'm going at this alone. Going against just Helena is one thing, but you are not ready to take on multiple armed men."

"Fine." She agreed. I could tell that she wasn't happy about it, but she also understood that I cared about her safety more than anything.

I went to the warehouse where they were holding her. They were talking about how they knew she was the one killing the other family members. You know if she wanted revenge on her father, why not just kill him first. Wanting him to suffer was probably more pleasing, but it wasn't smart. Considering that she lived with him, she could easily do it. It definitely wouldn't have gotten her into this mess.

Nevertheless, I had to save her. I had a mission. I would snipe out the guards and then I would go for the enforcer. It turned out that Helena's fiancé planned on turning Frank in. Frank would go down for his crimes. I wasn't planning on this, but he would go down and I wouldn't be upset to do it. Of course, the family ran deep, it wouldn't all fall at once. I knew more than a few things about the mob from my time in the Bratva. I even knew how to take it down. I would get Helena to give me everyone's names.

I shot out the other men before I made my entrance. You know it's never a good idea to bring a gun to an arrow fight. You would think that people like Deadshot, who was a much better marksman than this guy could tell him that.

"It's going to take more than some Robin Hood wannabe to take me down." He declared.

"Robin Hood wishes that he was as good as me." I declared. "By the way, thanks for admitting to cold-blooded murder. It makes it so much easier for me to do this."

I shot him in the chest, just like he admitted to doing to Helena's fiancé.

"You saved me." Helena declared. "Thank you, Sara."

"I didn't save you. I'm turning you in." I declared. "You're going to tell SCPD everything necessary to put your father and his men away and you're going to jail as well, you'll probably get a lighter sentence for giving everyone up."

"You've killed people too." She pointed out.

"It's been for the good of others, not some revenge plot. I can't let someone like you be free." I declared. "Not to mention, you hurt my friend's mom. I've already called the police to pick you up."

I headed off as soon as I could. I was still close enough to see the action. I watched Scarlett take her away. I knew that the two of us would need to get dinner soon.

"So, do you think that I did the right thing by not killing her?" I asked Thea and Diggle once I was back at the hideout.

"You couldn't have brought down the Bertinelli crime family if you killed her." Diggle pointed out. "I say you add his name to your list and cross it off."

"Oh my God." Thea remarked as she looked at her phone.

"What?" I asked in concern.

"I just got a text from Walter. He's coming home and he can't wait to see us." She declared. "We need to go like now."

Thea and I sat in the backseat as Diggle drove.

"You know I really wish that I could have been there with you." She told me.

"It really wasn't too much fun. Taking down some of the arrogant big wigs, that can be fun, but this was just sad. I just hope that Helena decides to do the right thing." I explained as I looked down.

"Well you did the right thing. I still want you to train me though." She stated.

"We'll see." I told her. "Let's just go home."

So, I decided to cut the Helena stuff short. I originally was going to recast her, but I decided to cut it short. I was also going to have Thea date her, but I decided against that as well. I haven't decided whether I'm going to skip the next episode or come up with something original. Please don't forget to review.


	8. Year's End

It was almost Christmas in Starling City which meant that it was almost my birthday. I was about to turn 25 and I had already lived more than most people. I was in the lair once again, but this time I was sparring with Thea. Her training was coming along quite nicely. Pretty soon she would be combat ready. Her shooting still wasn't completely up to par though. Of course, I hadn't come across a situation where I needed an extra person. I knew that would probably come in the future, so it wouldn't hurt to have be prepared for it.

"You're getting better." I told her as we traded blows.

"I could say the same about you. You've crossed three names off the list this week alone." She countered, in more ways than one.

"Well some of the guys are giving up as soon as I visit them." I pointed out.

"The vigilante's reputation of beginning to proceed her." Diggle commented.

"Do you wanna go a round, Dig?" I questioned as I subdued Thea.

"No, I have to take my nephew to the mall so he can tell Santa what he wants for Christmas." He replied. "Plus it still hurts from last time."

"Christmas, I used to hate it to growing up." I stated.

"But Christmas is your birthday." Thea remarked.

"Exactly, it means that I had to deal with people asking me what I wanted and having to correct them all of the time. Plus everyone else got presents for Christmas and their birthdays and I got both at once." I replied. "It made me kind of glad that there were no holidays on the island."

"Well my family used to love Christmas." Thea declared. "My dad threw a party every year. There was a Christmas tree in every room. We haven't really celebrated it since."

"Well maybe you two should give the list a rest and spend Christmas with your families. I hear Santa has a list of his own and I'd reckon both of you are on the nice column."

 _I was on the island and was awoken by Yao Fei entering the cave._

" _You not dead. Good." He replied. I knew his English was limited but he sounded kind of like a caveman…and looked like one with his beard. He brought me water and also Fiers. My first instinct was to kick him in the face._

" _He's the man that had me tortured and raped!" I screamed. "He would have killed me if you hadn't shown up."_

" _Then you kill him, or he can take you home." Yao Fei explained._

" _What?" I asked in surprise._

" _He has a plane, a way for you off this island." The Chinese man told me._

Thea and I went home and I finally realized that there weren't any decorations around the house. I mean there were no neighbors, but Christmas wasn't about showing off to your neighbors.

"You were right about not celebrating Christmas." I declared. I couldn't have that. I wanted everyone to decorate for mine and Jesus's birthday. "I think we need to change this year. I know your dad and brother aren't around anymore, but Christmas is still a big deal."

"Well you can talk to my mom and Walter about it." She said. She looked like she had wanted to celebrate Christmas, but her mom hadn't been up to it.

I walked into the dining room to see that some kind of dinner party was going on. Malcolm Merlyn was there along with the commissioner. There were two seats at the table empty for Thea and me. I couldn't help but notice that the conversation was currently about me as in the vigilante.

"What are your thoughts, Sara." Malcolm asked me. That was the first thing he said to me in over five years.

"I think the vigilante needs a better code name than the Hood." I declared.

"I agree. How about the Green Arrow?" Malcolm suggested.

"That's lame." I declared before he took a sip of his champagne.

At that point, Mr. Steele got up to take a phone call. A few minutes later, my father arrived to talk to the commissioner. It didn't seem good.

"Is everything alright, Daddy?" I asked.

"It seems the vigilante has struck again. She just put an arrow in Adam Hunt." The commissioner explained. What?

"Sara, come to the bathroom with me." Thea replied as she dragged me off. Once we were away from everyone, she spoke up. "What the fuck? Why did you go after Hunt again?"

"I didn't." I declared. "I had no reason to and I wouldn't kill him. There's someone else."

"Who?" She challenged.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out." I promised. Now what's the best way to find a killer? It was a good thing that I had connections.

I walked into the police station. I already had a lunch date planned. I kissed my girlfriend before we went outside.

"So, I'm a little curious about this Adam Hunt case." I remarked.

"Why do you care about Adam Hunt?" She questioned.

"Well my sister was suing him." I pointed out. "What do you know?"

"He was killed with three black arrows to the chest." She explained. "I'm not on the case, but if you ask me, I think this was someone else. The vigilante had no reason to attack Hunt again. So what do you want for your birthday?"

"You remembered." I remarked with a big smile.

"I remember all of my interrogations." She replied. I wondered if she was kidding or not.

After the date was over, I took met up with Thea and Diggle in the lair.

"Who would want to kill Adam Hunt?" He asked. That was the million-dollar question.

"Maybe it was a set up." I declared.

"You mean they wanted to cover it up by making it look like the hood?" He questioned.

"Well, whoever it was, they were very good." Thea declared. "Firing three arrows at once and hitting the target is not easy. This is advanced archery."

"How do you know all that?" Diggle replied.

"I'm a trained archer. I finished first in the state twice." Thea pointed out. "Just because Sara won't let me have a bow doesn't mean I don't how to use one."

"Well this killer would use a particular arrow." I pointed out. "If we can get one, we see if we can find a pattern like with Deadshot and we can also find out who made it."

"How are you going to do that?" Thea asked me. The same way anyone who needed help would.

"I'm going to talk to my connections." I declared as I grabbed my coat.

I went to see Scarlett again. I had an excuse to see her. I could tell her what I wanted for my birthday and invite her to spend it with my family.

"I want an iPad." I declared.

"That will be easy enough to get." She told me.

"So, I've been thinking. I know the Hunt thing isn't your case, but could you still solve it?" I questioned.

"I mean technically I could, but that wouldn't make me very popular in the precinct, especially since your dad is the one on it." She declared.

"Well, I guess I'll talk to him." I stated. "Do you want to come my birthday party? I'm one of the few people to share a birthday with Jesus, so it's worth celebrating."

"Sure." She said with a laugh.

I then walked into the building where my dad was still there at his desk.

"You're working late." I commented.

"I'm just trying to get this figured out." He stated.

"Hey, can I see one of the arrows?" I asked. "I mean maybe from examining them, you'd be able to get more clues."

The following day, Thea and I went to Big Belly Burger together.

"I think there should be a national holiday for the guy who invented French fries." She declared before stuffing some in her mouth.

"He was Belgian." I pointed out. "So, if there's no Christmas party, I want to have a birthday party."

"Hi Thea." A female voice interrupted. She was tall with brown hair and brown eyes.

"Hey Shelley." Thea replied. She must have been someone Thea went to school with. "This is my friend, Sara."

"Hi Thea's friend." Shelley declared before looking back to her. "We're heading down to the bay if you'd like to come."

"Thanks, but I'm spending the day with her." Thea told her.

"I guess it'll be another time." She replied.

"So, how do you know her?" I questioned.

"We used to smoke crack together." Thea quipped before eating another fry.

"Why do I have a feeling I won't like her?" I questioned.

"You don't know her." Thea argued. "I'm allowed to have other friends besides you and Diggle and I won't tell anyone."

"Well we need to go back to your house because I need to announce my birthday party and we can also call it a Christmas party." I replied before I took her back to the house. Thankfully. Mr. Steele and Mrs. Queen were there.

"So, Thea tells me that you haven't been celebrating Christmas." I declared. "I think we should get everyone together for a Christmas party in honor of my birthday because no one will actually want to come here on Christmas. I'll organize everything."

Yes, it was a little weird organizing my own birthday party, but I needed to get everyone in the mood to celebrate because there still was a lot to celebrate.

"You're a good person, Sara." Mr. Steele declared.

 _On the island, Yao Fei and I took Fiers out into the forest._

" _You're a good person." Fiers declared. "I can see it underneath the privileged upbringing and wealthy veneer. I saw it when my men tortured you, but you wouldn't give up you friend. He's not even much of a friend considering you just met."_

" _Shut up." I whispered._

" _What do you know about him?" He asked. "Do you even know what this island really is? It's a prison. I mean this literally. It was used as a penitentiary for criminals so dangerous that they couldn't be incarcerated on the mainland."_

That night, I got a call from Scarlett. I answered the phone hoping to tell her about the party.

"So, I'm kind of one the case now." She told me. "Your dad has been removed from it."

"Why?" I asked.

"I can't go into that, but I can tell you that there was another murder. The victim was another man that the vigilante hit." She replied. "I'm just saying this might interfere with my ability to come to your party. I'm going to try my best to make it, but I can't promise that I'll be there."

"Maybe, I can help you solve this case." I declared. "I know I'm not qualified in the slightest, but I know solving it will make you happy. I really think we should look at the arrows."

"I can send you some pictures." She declared. "Are you sure that you have time to do this while building your club?"

"The guys are off for the holidays." I explained.

I loved over the pictures, They weren't as good as the real thing, but I was pretty sure that I could get what I needed from them.

"So, looks like your girlfriend gave you an early birthday present." Diggle commented.

"This is a Teflon-based polymer and serrated to split the bone." I declared. "This is a custom job."

"Well your dad got removed from the case after this archer dropped another body." Thea stated.

"Nelson Ravage, another guy who was on the list." I replied.

"Well this person is either trying to frame you or call you out." Diggle said.

"Either way, I have to find this person." I stated. "Thea, I want you to come with me because you know a lot about arrows."

So, the next day, I brought Thea with me to meet Scarlett.

"Why did you bring her?" Scarlett asked.

"I know this would be a great date, but Thea is trained archer." I explained.

"First in state twice." Thea commented. "So, I think these arrows are custom-made. Do we know of anyone who makes custom arrows?"

"There is a place." Scarlett remarked. "It's called Sagittarius, named after the constellation. If they made these arrows, we can get the information about when and where it was sent to. Just give me a few minutes to make a phone call."

"Do you think they can tell us who it was sent to?" I asked.

"I would say probably not considering the person was using them to kill people." Scarlett stated before she made the call and I waited. A few minutes later, she had the address. "This is some very useful information. We probably don't have time to go to there tonight because of the party."

"Yes, that reminds me. I need to pick up the cake." I declared.

"I will see you there." She declared before kissing me. I sent Thea home with Diggle. I would have enough time to grab the cake and stop by.

Of course, all I found was an empty lair with some kind of time triggered bomb in it. I rushed out the door as fast as I could. This person was very good.

I arrived at the house wearing a blue vintage floral lace dress with a black sash tied in a bow. Since I got to choose the cake, I went with a lemon layer cake with berries on it. Shortly after I walked in, I saw Shelley walk in.

"So, Thea invited me. I hope that's cool." She declared. "Happy birthday."

"You can put the gift on the table." I told her. I didn't trust her. There was something that made me not like her.

I went inside to find that Scarlett was there. She was wearing a beautiful green dress.

"So, you two are really together." Laurel declared.

"Yes, we are." I confirmed. "I'm glad you're here."

"Well, I'm glad that we can celebrate." Dad replied. "Your mother couldn't come early, but she'll be here on your actual birthday."

"Well let's get a picture of the three of us." I suggested as I pulled him and Laurel come and smiled. I couldn't help but notice that Thea was taking Shelley away.

I could tell that the party was going great. I was happy about it. I did dread everyone singing to me though because I hated it. At least I was pretty sure that they wouldn't try to blend "Happy Birthday" with a Christmas song like my family did one year. That was a train wreck and it should never be spoke of. Yes, the video did exist. I needed to make sure that I find it and destroy it sometime because I couldn't let anyone see it ever.

"So, how does it feel to be celebrating your birthday for the first time in five years?" Scarlett asked me when we were alone in my room. "That came out wrong."

"No, it's fine, the truth is, I didn't even always know it was my birthday. It was hard to keep track of days when I was there." I explained. I had known it was my birthday at points, but I still didn't have time to celebrate it or Christmas. While I was doing all of the things that I was doing, holidays in general just weren't important. I was glad to have a sense of normalcy back in my life. "You know I want to take that dress off of you, so bad."

"What's stopping you?" She asked.

"I feel it's a little too soon." I replied. "And to tell you the truth, I've never actually had sex with a woman before. There was drunken touching a feels times, but never actual sex."

"It probably isn't the best to do it tonight anyway." She agreed. "I would not want to keep you from your own party. You know you did a really good job at setting all of this up."

I realized that I should probably go downstairs because it was about to be cake time. I really hoped that the cake was actually good. It would be nice if they let you have samples of the cake before you purchase it. It was supposed to be the best bakery in Starling City, so I probably didn't have anything to worry about. I also realized that I should make sure that to find Thea. I knew that she liked berries, which was another reason that I got that particular cake. I headed down the hall to her room.

However, before I could open the door, I was found by Laurel.

"Can I talk to you?" She asked.

"Yeah, you can talk to me about anything." I declared.

"You know I kind of want to move forward with Tommy, but I feel like something is holding me back." She explained. "I keep making these excuses, I haven't been in a serious relationship with anyone since Oliver and I know how that turned out, so I'm scared of being hurt again."

"Look, Tommy is a good guy and you're going to be great together." I remarked. "Just do whatever you feel is right and I know that everything will work out in the end with the two of you."

"Thank you." She said before she headed downstairs.

I then opened the door to Thea's room.

"Thea, it's time for cake." I declared. However, I saw more than I wanted to. Both Thea and Shelley were naked and…I don't want to talk about it.

"Sara…" She replied as she had the deer in the headlights look.

"You need to leave." I told Shelley. She threw her dress on and puts her shoes on before she ran out. I wasn't even sure if I had any right to be mad because she wasn't my sister.

"What the hell are you doing?" She asked.

"I thought you wanted a party." I remarked.

"No, I didn't want a party. You wanted a party. I don't like Christmas anymore. I know it's your birthday, but all it does is bring up memories of things I want to forget. I don't feel like having any cake."

I barely had time to eat cake before Scarlett pulled me away.

"I have to go. This archer has taken hostages and they're calling everyone in." She declared. It looked like I would have to leave as well.

Diggle also told me that the archer wanted me specifically. I knew it was a bad situation to go into, but I couldn't people die because of the mess that I made. I had to help them.

"I have to help them." I declared.

"Sara, this person is dangerous." He countered.

"I dealt with things twice as dangerous as this person on the island." I shouted. I was glad it was a big house or else someone might have heard me.

 _On the island Yao Fei told Fiers to call his plane. However, we quickly learned that it was an ambush. Fighting ensued and I ran. I turned around and I saw that Yao Fei was overmatched and they captured him. I knew I couldn't do anything without getting captured too, so I continued to run._

I headed out dressed and ready. It was nearing the deadline and I had to do whatever I could to save the people inside. I knew the police would be looking for me, so I had to do find a good way to get inside without being seen, or triggering the explosives that were around the building. I was dealing with a professional and I would have to be very careful. I slid in through the top of the building on a zip line. It wouldn't be the easiest to get out, but I needed to focus on saving the people first. I immediately started to untie everyone. I began to lead people to the exit. I figured the roof would make the most sense and it would distract the police. I began to look around for the archer before I heard footsteps and turned around and there he was. It was a man, a tall man.

"Thank you for coming. After the warehouse, I knew I'd have to do something dramatic to get your attention." He remarked.

"What do you want with me?" I asked.

"What any archer wants: to see who's better." He replied as he grabbed his bow.

We both began to fire, missing each other with the first few shots. I took to the rafters and prepared to fire, but he spotted me and shot my bow away before hitting me in the knee. I grabbed my bow and began to fire again. He then shot me in the several times. I was in trouble. He started to kick me repeatedly. This was going to take some time to heal.

"First Hunt and then Ravage and then you." He remarked. "I know you know about the list and the man who wrote it wants you dead. They call you the Hood let's see what you look like without it on."

He prepared to remove my hood but I grabbed an arrow and stabbed him in the knee. He then ran off and I made my escape. I pulled the arrows out and went the window, falling on a dumpster in the process. Luckily, I had my walkie on me for things like this.

"Diggle, I need help," I groaned into it. It had a tracker so he could find me, I then passed out.

When I woke up, I was in the hospital. Diggle and Thea were by my side.

"What happened?" I asked.

"I cleaned you and got you out of there." He explained. I assumed he also got my costume off. I knew he respected me enough not to do anything. "The doctors say you have three broken ribs and a concussion but you're going to be fine. Some people are here to see you."

At that point, Laurel and my dad walked into the room.

"Are you okay?" My sister asked.

"At least you were wearing your helmet." Dad replied.

"I told them how you were on your bike and a semi pulled out in front of you." Diggle explained.

"How could you leave your own party?" Laurel asked.

"Well I saw the news. I was helping Scarlett solve this case and I wanted to do something, anything, but I couldn't. I know I shouldn't have but I just felt helpless. Did they get those people out of there alive?"

"Yeah, but that other archer got away." Scarlett said from the doorway. "That was sweet that you wanted to do something, pretty stupid but sweet. I mean what would you have done if you saw the guy?"

"I don't know. I wasn't thinking clearly." I lied. I probably wasn't thinking clearly to begin with. I went into battle without knowing anything about my opponent and I got my ass kicked.

"Anyway, you should probably get some rest." Scarlett replied.

At that point, everybody but Thea left the room.

"So, I never got to give you your present." She told me.

"I don't think I'm in the mood for that right now." I replied. "I'm sorry for how I was earlier. Your personal life is none of my business. So, is it true that you like girls now?"

"Well I didn't exactly get the chance to find out." She quipped. "So it looks like you got beaten badly. Maybe I could have helped you."

"Or you could be here with me. This guy is good, Thea." I replied. "Next time I face him, I need to be ready. You know when I confront someone on the list, I tell them that I failed the city, but tonight it was me who failed."

"No, you didn't fail. You may not have stopped the bad guy, but you rescued the hostages. You'll stop this guy soon."

"There's more. The other archer told me that someone wrote the list." I explained. "It wasn't your dad. Someone else made it."

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"I think that there's someone out there more dangerous than the archer and I'm gonna take him down." I promised.

So I couldn't come up with anything else and just moved forward. Sara and Scarlett are starting to get serious, but Sara stopped Thea from having sex. Shelley is played by Shelley Hennig. Please don't forget to review.


	9. Burned

I was in my lair alone. I had the salmon ladder out and was getting prepared to use it. It was going okay, but I couldn't help but think of my fight with the other archer. I wasn't strong enough to beat him. I could still feel the pain. The training went okay, but then I got ready for target practice. I took out a tennis ball like I always would, but I missed. I never missed. I couldn't believe that I had missed. Maybe the fight had messed with my head more than I thought because I couldn't help but think of it while I shot. I then saw Diggle in front of me.

"How are you doing?" He asked. "How's the rehab?"

I didn't answer that. I just had a different question on my mind.

"Have you found Walter yet?" I questioned.

"I talked to my sources at the Bureau. They've all given me the same answers." He replied.

"Well either Mr. Steele doesn't want to be found or someone else doesn't want him to be found." I declared.

"It's been six weeks, Sara. There's been no contact from the kidnappers, no ransom, and no proof of life." He pointed out.

"Just because he's likely dead doesn't mean that it's certain." I remarked.

"What are you going to do?" He inquired.

"I don't know." I replied as I put my bow up. "Even my contacts in the Bratva don't know anything. This isn't the easiest thing to talk to Thea about because I don't want to say I'm going to find him when I may not be able to put my undivided effort towards it."

"I wasn't talking about Walter.," He pointed out. "You look like you're ready to return to battle and last I checked there was more than a few names to cross off this list."

"Those people aren't going anywhere." I argued. "With Walter missing, Thea and Moira need me right now."

 _Yao Fei and I had Fiers. Of course it was a trap. He told me to run and I did. However, that meant that he was captured. I would have to find a way to save him but I didn't know how._

The following morning, I got a call from Laurel. It was odd because she never called me. She was basically telling me that Joanna's brother died last night. He was a firefighter and he had been killed in a fire. Dad was the one who had to break the news to her. I couldn't help but think that everyone was hurting.

That night, I went to see Mrs. Queen. She was looking at a picture of her and Mr. Steele.

"Hey." I greeted her.

"Hi." She reciprocated without much emotion.

"I stopped by Big Belly Burger. I thought maybe the three of us could have some takeout and watch a DVD." I suggested.

"Thanks but I'm not very hungry." She replied. There was still something very odd about Mr. Steele's disappearance.

So, the two of us were in the living room alone.

"I've seen that you before." She said as she took out the DVD.

"Okay, so maybe a movie called _The Hangover_ isn't good for us." I stated. "How do you pronounce that guy's name anyway?"

"What are you doing to find Walter?" She asked.

"Thea, I've looked for him, but I've got nothing. We've been over this." I explained. "I've asked everyone I know, and I'm at a dead end. If I get more information in the future, I'll revisit it, but there's nothing that I can do right now. I'm sorry."

"Well Mom stayed at home a lot after my dad and Ollie disappeared." She explained. "Eventually she stopped going out altogether."

"How did she get past it then?" I inquired.

"Walter." She responded. Damn it. "One day, he shows up all British and stern-like. 'Moira, get dressed. We're going out for lunch.' And it worked. You know I had a crazy thought. Maybe Walter wasn't abducted. Maybe he's having a midlife crisis and he's with some 20something on a tropical island somewhere. I mean just because we haven't heard from him doesn't mean that he's missing or dead."

"It's possible, but unlikely." I admitted.

I then noticed that they were talking about me on the news.

"So why haven't you let me be you lately? I know that this other archer is a problem, but I could at least help with the small crime." She pointed out.

"I don't know, I guess we haven't been training lately." I replied. "And I'm worried about you going out alone. I don't want something to go wrong."

"Well how are you doing? Do you think you can come back yet?" She inquired. "You don't have to go after this other archer or find Walter, but you need to do something."

"It's hard for me to shoot right now." I admitted. "It's not a physical thing, but it's hard to focus."

The following day, I was having lunch with Scarlett at the precinct. It was a little weird, but I liked being there for some reason.

"Dad, I did some digging. The firefighters burned hotter than the temperatures of the fires and both of them were doused in turpentine." Laurel declared.

"Excuse me," I declared as I walked over.

"Laurel, what are you doing here?" I questioned, even though I was pretty sure.

"I'm trying to get dad to pursue a case." She told me.

"The fire department has its own investigative department and they don't answer to the police." Dad explained. "I feel for Jo and her family, but there's not a lot I can do for you."

I decided to bring up the same thing to Scarlett.

"I probably can't do much more than him." She said. "I have a friend at the fire department, but it would be breaking protocol if they pursued it with order. Probably the only way to figure anything out would be to go outside the law."

That night, I met with Thea and Diggle in the lair.

"So, I have something. There's a case of two firefighters supposedly being murdered." I stated. "We need to see if we can find anything out."

"Are you sure this is the right thing to pursue?" Diggle inquired. "Last I check, you're not fireproof."

"Well if there's a slight chance that I can proof this and catch the person who did this, I have to take it." I explained. "I've been out of action for too long and I have to let people know that I'm still here."

"Plus if he was murdered, we have to bring his killer to justice." Thea added. "There needs to be some justice in this town."

"Now for starters, I think we need to do some sparring." I replied.

"You sure you're ready?" Thea asked.

"I'm thinking that it should be you two against each other." I declared. "I can watch what both of you have learned and critique. But John, same rules: don't hit her in the face."

What surprised me was how fast she managed to knock him to the ground. She was really learning quickly, and I was proud of her.

"You know part of me wants to pass along whatever we find to Scarlett or my father." I admitted.

"I thought you were supposed to be doing the police's job." Diggle stated.

"Well I'm nervous about it." I stated. "I've never been beaten so badly."

At that point, I heard voices coming from upstairs.

"I should probably check that out." I stated. I went upstairs and that's where Tommy was. "So I realize it's probably hard to manage my nightclub without an actual club."

"Yeah, I just took the liberty of yelling at our contractor." He said. "I told him if we don't see any progress soon, we'll go with someone else."

"How is Joanna?" I questioned. I imagined that she had come over.

"She's holding up." He replied. "I had something that I wanted to talk to you about. I was thinking we could do a fundraiser for the fire department. It would be a great way to raise some money for the families."

"That's a good idea." I declared.

"Maybe we could do it here. We could keep the overhead low, so maximize the proceeds to the firemen and their families." He added. He had really thought things through.

"Did someone replace you with a robot?" Thea quipped as she walked into the room.

"Thea, what are you doing here?" He asked in surprise.

"I've been helping Sara out with some logistics." She lied. "But I have never seen you so driven before."

I had to admit that I was a little bit concerned about Tommy finding out what was going on downstairs, but he needed a job and he seemed like he was really good at it. He was better than I expected to him to be. I completely believe that he was taking it seriously. He never took anything seriously.

When Thea and I got home, I found that someone was talking to Mrs. Queen about Mr. Steele's disappearance and what it meant for the company. I wasn't sure why he had to bring up Mr. Queen's disappearance as well.

"I don't need you to remind me of that." She declared.

"The last thing that I want to do is upset you." He replied.

"Well I'm pretty sure you failed then." Thea remarked.

"Good day." Mrs. Queen added before he walked out.

"Who was that?" I questioned. I couldn't help but wonder if people from the company regularly visited their house.

"Ned Foster, the COO of the company." She answered. "He wants me to take Walter's place as CEO."

"Well you should go for it." I suggested. "I know it may not be ideal, but do you know how many major companies have female CEOs?"

"I need to be at home right now." She argued.

"Mom, you don't need to stay here for me. Sara's right. You could do some real trailblazing and I know you'd be amazing at running the company." Thea replied. "You always said that you want me to be happy, well you doing this would make me very happy."

"Well maybe I don't want to do it!" She yelled before she exited.

"We have a problem." Diggle declared as he entered the room.

"Thea, can you please stay with her for a little while?" I asked her. "If anyone can make her feel better now, it would probably be you. What's going on?"

"There's a fire at Stagg Chemicals. Security feed show a 74 pickup outside, the same one that was there during Danny de la Vega's fire." He replied. "We need to go now before there are any more casualties."

"Go." Thea stated. She didn't sound thrilled, but she seemed like she would stay for me.

The two of us headed to the fire. I had to get in quickly. I noticed that a man attacked the firefighter inside. There was a man in a gasmask. He dropped the firefighter into the flames. I had a tough decision. I could either go after him or try to stop the killer. I decided to go after the killer. However, I quickly found that I was out of practice and I got beaten. I did notice one thing. He had a tattoo of an insect on his hand. He then threw a smoke bomb and ran off.

I headed back to the lair extremely disappointed. Not only had I failed to save the firefighter, but I also failed to catch the killer. I couldn't believe it. Maybe I couldn't do this anymore. Maybe I just didn't have it in me. I wanted to be a hero, but maybe I had blown my chance. He had escaped and he was going to kill again. I didn't know if there was anything that I could do to stop him. What was the point?

I decided that I needed to talk to someone, so I called Scarlett

"Who is this?" She asked.

"Detective Bowmen, I have some information for you." I told her. "The killer drives a 1974 pickup and has a firefly tattoo."

"Why are you calling me? I'm gonna have someone trace this call." She replied.

"You could do that or you could try to stop this guy." I suggested. "I don't know if I can."

"What?" She questioned.

"I might be retiring. You won't have to find out who I am because I won't be around anymore." I told her.

"You can't do that." She argued. "As much as I don't like how you do it, I can't help but be grateful for what you do. This city needs you."

She then hung up.

"Do you really think that the police can handle a killer who burns people alive?' Diggle asked. "Would you really put your girlfriend or your father in danger like this?"

"What am I supposed to do?" I countered.

He then swung at me. I dodged and held him against the desk.

"Your problem isn't physical. This other archer got in your head." He told me. "He took your courage from you. You're afraid. You can beat anyone in this city, including him, but you can't do anything until you get over your fear."

"I don't have time for this." I replied. "I need to run an errand for the benefit for the fire station."

I headed to the fire station and that was where I found my sister.

"What are you doing here?" I asked in confusion.

"Joanna asked me to clean out Danny's locker." She explained. "What are you doing here?'

"Tommy asked me to make sure the guest list for the benefit was accurate." I stated.

"He's been working very hard on that. It's very generous that you two are doing it, Sara." She declared.

"So, is it true that Tommy asked for a drawer at your place?" I questioned. She looked at me. "He told me."

"I don't know if I can share with Tommy right now." She admitted. "I don't know if I'm ready."

"You could take it slow." I offered,

"I don't take things slow." She reminded me. "Fear controls us. We don't control our fears."

When I got home, I found Thea was in her room. She was on her computer.

"So, I found that there is a connection." She stated as she showed me a picture "These men called themselves the Fireflies. Four or them are dead. Three of them were killed recently, except for this guy Garfield Linz. He was killed in a fire two years ago."

"Thea, I don't know if I can do this." I replied.

"Then I guess I'll have to." She stated.

"Thea, you can't do this." I remarked.

"Why? It seems like I'm the only one who actually wants to." She told me. "I know this guy fucked you up, but if you're not going to be the hero that this city needs, someone else will have to."

"What about your mom?" I challenged. "She can't lose you too."

"Well maybe I'm willing to risk my life because I can't take it here anymore." She challenged. "Now are you going to do this or not?"

I began to think. I knew that I would have to. I couldn't let Thea run into this situation when she had a high chance of being killed. Scarlett was right. The city did need me. All of the firefighters in the city needed me to save them.

"Fine, let's do this." I told her. 'Do you have any suspects?"

"I do." She proposed. "The circumstances of Linz's death are very strange. My suspicion is telling me that he might be not dead."

"Well that's not something that we can prove without more research." I replied. "Get your coat."

"Can I ask you one question?" She responded. "Why is it that your afraid now? You've never been afraid before."

"Well I just couldn't help but think about all of the people who would hurt if I died. You, your mom, my family, Tommy and Scarlett." I told her.

"You can't be afraid of death, Sara." She told me. "The fact is you could die at any moment. Yes, it's true that you could die any time that you put on that hood, but you could also get into a car accident on the way to the store. You could have a random aneurysm. You have to fight. Also, letting all of us in gives you something to fight for."

"We need to get you a suit." I replied. She perked up. "But not tonight. I'm not going to literally let you walk into the fire, but I can tell that you're almost ready."

Once we got to the lair, we met up with Diggle.

"So, the killer is Garfield Linz." I remarked. "We have to find a way to stop him, but we also have to get ready for the benefit. Thea, for once, who can come to a club, but no alcohol this time."

I would a red long-sleeved sequin dress. Thea stood behind me in a black sequin sleeveless dress with a V-neck. It was probably sexier than she should be wearing, but she looked nice in it. I then started to look for my date.

Scarlett was wearing a navy lace dress with fringe sleeves and a matching hem.

"Hi." I greeted her.

"You know this place may be ironically breaking the fire code." She joked.

"There's someone that I want you to meet." I declared before I took her over to Laurel and Tommy. This is Tommy Merlyn, my general manager."

"You know I never pictured Sara as someone to date a cop." Tommy stated.

"Really?" I questioned.

"Hey, Babe, can we talk to the fire chief?" Scarlett requested.

It turned out that Scarlett had done some of the same research and she basically told the chief that she believed that Linz managed to escape the fire and was the one killing the other firefighters.

"You're insane, Detective." He remarked. I was pretty sure that you weren't supposed to say that to a cop. "There's no way that Gar made it out of that building."

"Just like there's no way you'll make it out of this one." A man interrupted before he threw a firebomb.

"Damn it. The one time I don't bring my gun." Scarlett muttered.

"You need to get everyone out of here." I told her. "You're an officer, you must know how to handle this."

"Gar, what are you doing?" The chief asked. He then pointed what looked to be a kitchen sprayer at us.

"Run." Linz ordered.

I ran to the lair to get my suit on. I wouldn't have a lot of time. I had to save the chief. I couldn't fail again. I had to remember what Thea told me and I had to fight for the people that I loved. This was really testing how fast I could get changed. I decided that not mess around and just ripped the dress. I could so it back together later. I hoped that everyone else had made it out of the building okay.

I managed to make it back up just as Linz was about to burn the chief. I realized that I only had one shot and it would have to be perfect. I fired and hit the lighter in midair.

"Go." I told the chief before he ran off.

"Go ahead." Linz instructed. "I'm not afraid to die."

"I know." I replied. In fact, he was probably hoping that I would kill him because he felt that he had nothing left to live for. "You're afraid to live. I can get you out of here. I can get you the help that you need."

"Thank you, but it's too late for me." He told me before he walked right into the fire and set himself ablaze."

In the morning, I sat with Thea watching the news. The fire would delay the opening of my club a little while. I would also have to remember to put in some sprinklers.

"Look at that." Thea remarked. "I told you that you're a hero. It is too bad about the club though. Looks like you won't be making money for a while."

"Good morning." Mrs. Queen interrupted. She was dressed up.

"Wow, Mom. I wasn't expecting you to be so dressed up." Thea remarked.

"Well I can't go to the office in my pajamas." Her mother retorted. "I'm taking Walter's position at the office. Thank you, Thea, for giving me the shove that I needed. I also promise that I will find Walter and I'll see you both for dinner."

"So, I think you are officially the world's greatest motivational speaker." I quipped.

Later that day, I was at the club. I had to assess the damage and the costs it would take to fix it. Even though it would just be a front, I did hope that it would do well because Mrs. Queen had given me a lot of money.

"Well I suppose that wasn't the opening you were expecting." Scarlett replied as she came in.

"So, you're coming to see me at work." I noted.

"I'm here because we need to talk about how you called me the other night." She said.

So it's been a while. The bombshell in this chapter is that Scarlett knows. And since she knows, I have officially decided that Felicity will not have an expanded role in this story. Please don't forget to review.


	10. Trust But Verify

"I don't know what you're talking about." I stammered.

"Sara, we can do this one of two ways." She said. "You can tell me that you're the Hood now and I won't arrest you. Or you can tell me that you are not and I'll believe you, but if I find out that you lied to me later, I will arrest you."

"Why wouldn't you arrest me if I told you now?" I challenged. I couldn't think of why, as a police officer, she would give me some leeway. I didn't even know if my dad would do that for me.

"Because I'm your girlfriend and I love you." She answered.

"Oh." I responded. That was sudden. "I don't know what to say."

"Crap, I said it too early, didn't I?" She replied with a blush. "I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that. I'm so sorry."

I couldn't help but chuckle a little at the situation that was transpiring.

"You're cute when you babble." I commented. I then remembered what the conversation was originally about and what she said that she would do to me if I lied to her. Granted, I could avoid it using the other thing that she said as a distraction, but I had to think about it.

"Scarlett, before I tell you anything, can I please be sure that you're not recording me?" I questioned. "It's not that I don't trust you, but I can't take chances."

"If you want me to take my clothes off, all you have to do is ask." She said. "Is there somewhere more private?"

I thought about where to take her. I didn't quite want to take her into the lair yet. The office was probably the only place not damaged by the fire and I took her up there.

Once we were inside, she took off her coat, blouse and pants. I wondered if I should undress too.

"Now do you promise me that no matter what happens between us, you'll never tell anyone about this?" I asked.

"Even if it is literally the ugliest breakup in the world." She told me.

"Then yes, I am the vigilante." I replied. "Now you can put your clothes back on."

"You could take yours off." She suggested.

"I don't think this is an ideal first time for us to have sex." I commented. "The circumstances are very weird."

At that time, her phone went off. I seriously hoped that she hadn't just played me.

"Hello?" She answered. "Seriously? I'll be right there."

She then quickly got dressed and went out. She didn't tell me what happened, so it seemed that there was a bit of mutual distrust between us.

In the morning, I found that there weren't any cars at the house, so she had stuck to word and hadn't turned me in to her superiors.

"Do you think Venetian Green or Midnight Black would look better?" Thea asked me.

"I think that your mom isn't buying you a car of any color." I declared.

"That is true." Mrs. Queen agreed.

"But Ollie got a car when he turned 18." She argued.

"I'm pretty sure that he wrecked it too." Tommy pointed out as he walked into the room.

"Now we have to go. The party planner is waiting." The woman declared.

"Can we stop at the convertible store?" Thea questioned. I hoped that there wouldn't be a mission soon because I didn't want to exclude her.

"So how is she holding up?" Tommy asked.

"She's okay. I think she's a little too okay. She's behaving kind of erratically." I pointed out.

"Well her husband is missing." Tommy pointed out. "So, are you really getting Thea a car?"

"Her mom gave me some money." I replied. "Why is my dad on TV?"

It turned out that there was an armored car robbery. That must have been what Scarlett had to run away to.

"So how are things with you and your lady cop?" He questioned.

"Well she told me that she loved me. I didn't tell her that, but I did tell her a very deep secret and I'm worried about whether or not she'll actually keep it." I explained.

Later, I was working out in the lair while Diggle watched. I hadn't told him or Thea about how I told Scarlett yet because I didn't know how they would react. To be fair, I hadn't told her about them either.

"Have you ever thought about putting in a side entrance into your Arrow Cave?" He asked as I did some pushups.

"Just did." I responded. "I have something that I want to show you."

"Are you sure we should be doing this now?" He questioned.

"As much as I don't want to exclude Thea from this, I'm not sure if this can wait for her." I pointed out. "This technique is the exact same one used by Marines to take out a Taliban vehicle."

"Yeah, it is the same technique." He confirmed as he looked it over. "How did you find this?"

"I was researching someone who worked for a private security firm. His name is Ted Gaynor." I explained.

"Sara, Ted Gaynor was my CO in my first tour of Afghanistan." He replied. I couldn't help but be surprised by that.

"Oh, wow." I replied. "John, I'm sorry to tell you this, but Gaynor is on the list."

"He's a bit poor to be on your list." Diggle declared.

"I didn't say that it was just rich people." I pointed out as I grabbed my bow.

"Well this guy saved my life. I don't care what your book says. He's not a criminal." He argued.

"You haven't known him in a long time." I declared. I still couldn't believe the coincidence that one of his friends was on the list.

"We've been talking ever since I got stateside." He told me. "Six months ago, he offered me a job at his firm. Now trust me. You don't know this man like I do."

"I know that he has training to pull this thing off." I said. "Now I can't prove this was him, but I think I should talk to him and at least find out who is using his techniques to kill security guards. Since this is such a sensitive subject for you, I think should probably do this one alone."

That night I went to the security company. I shot some tranquilizers in the guards as I walked through. I made my way to Gaynor's office. As soon as I walked in, I kicked him.

"Ted Gaynor, we're going to have a conversation." I replied. "If you do anything, things will end badly for you."

I then heard a gun coming from behind me. I turned and saw Diggle standing there.

"Put the bow down." He ordered. We stared at each other before I shot at his computer and used the ensuing sparks to grab his flash drive and make a break for it.

We then had a heated conversation back at the lair.

"I could have killed you!" I declared.

"I'm not going to let you hurt an innocent man!" He argued. "It seems like you trust your damn book more than you trust me these days!"

"I trust Mr. Queen." I replied. "Gaynor may have saved your life but he saved mine. He told me that everyone on the list was on there for a reason."

I then went home because I needed to talk to Thea. I hoped that she wouldn't be mad at me.

"What's going on? Why do you look so flustered? Are you going on missions without me?' She asked.

"Thea, I can explain that but what the mission is about is important and Diggle and I have done opinions on it." I replied.

"Well you're not going to agree on everything." She pointed out.

"But this is different." I remarked. "The man I'm going after, the man on the list, is a friend of his."

"I don't know if I should get in the middle of this." She replied. "I'm not taking a side here."

"So, I didn't want to do anything this week." I told her. "It's just that crime doesn't take a vacation."

"You could have your girlfriend handle it." She suggested. "Give her another phone call with that voice changer thing you use."

"Yeah, that won't work." I replied. "She kind of figured out it was me."

"You told your girlfriend? Why didn't you deny it?" She asked.

"For one, we both know that I'm a terrible liar." I pointed out. "And she told me that she loved me. When you say that to someone, doesn't that mean that you're okay with all of their faults?"

"Well do you love her?" She replied.

"Yes…no…maybe." I declared.

"There is no all of the above here." Thea stated. "I have an idea. How about we spend the whole day together tomorrow. You can make it up to me for not involving me in your mission."

"I am right about it by the way. John's judgment is clouded." I replied.

"I already said that I'm not getting in the middle." She reminded me.

So, the next day, the two of us went to the spa together. I was nervous because I didn't like to be cut off from all lines of communication for even short periods of time.

"You know most people are less nervous when they're at the spa." She told me.

"I'm sorry. I just don't like being away from my phone." I declared.

"How did you survive on that island?" She joked. "Just relax. I even got a female masseuse for you."

"So I'm supposed to relax by letting a woman touch me in ways that my girlfriend even hasn't?" I challenged.

"You and Scarlett haven't had sex yet?" She asked in surprise.

"It's not easy having sex with someone that you're in a serious relationship with." I admitted. "I don't want to mess it up and this new development only makes me more nervous."

"I think you do love her." Thea stated. "I never thought that I'd see the day when you fell in love. As far as what do about your secret, there's an old saying trust, but verify."

"What are you most worried about?" I questioned.

"I can't but think that my mom is going to get with Tommy's dad." She stated.

"Why do you think that?" I questioned.

"I don't know. It just seems like they always end up together. Not to mention, I noticed him calling her yesterday."

"It could have just been about business." I pointed out.

"But they were like this before you left on the boat. I think that's why my dad was so anxious to get away." She replied.

"I'll talk to her." I responded.

That night, I went to do just that.

"Thea thinks that I'm having an affair with Malcolm?" She asked.

"And that it started when Mr. Queen was still alive." I added.

"Why would she think that?" She replied.

"She said that you and him were fighting." I explained.

"It's not your concern, Sara." She told me.

"Thea made it my concern." I pointed out. "She is my friend and she's worried. So, what happened?"

"Robert was unfaithful to me, repeatedly and it made our marriage difficult to say the least." She answered. Did that mean that she was getting back at him? "I want Thea to remember him as a good man. So, promise me you won't tell her."

"No." I declared. "I am not your family's secret keeper. Plus, I've been in her position. I didn't know that my parents' marriage was in trouble because they asked Laurel not to tell me. Also, you didn't answer the question. Why would Thea think that you and Malcolm are sneaking around?"

"Well I occasionally ask him for advice on how to run a company." She pointed out. "Is my interrogation over?"

I then realized that I needed to see my girlfriend. If Diggle was going to research his new boss, I was also going to do further research.

"I didn't think that I was going to see you tonight." She said as I stepped into her office.

"I need your help with something." I declared. "I have a suspect in the armored car heists, but in order to prove it, I need to get into this flash drive. Do you think that you can help me with that?"

"Only if you tell me who your suspect is." She told me.

"Ted Gaynor." I replied. She gasped. "Please don't tell me that you have a personal connection to him."

"No, other than the fact that he was my next-door neighbor growing up." She responded. "Why do you think it was him?"

"Because the attack patterns rival military maneuvers." I answered. "So, can you get into this flash drive?"

"I can try." She replied. "But you gotta give me a kiss first."

I gave her a quick peck on the lips and she smiled.

"I suppose that's good enough." She stated. She then got into it. After a few minutes, she managed to find something. "Well this is definitely very illegal."

"Are you going to tell the chief about it?" I questioned.

"What would I tell him? That I got a stolen flash drive? That will never hold up in court." She pointed out. "Plus, I can't even prove that it's not fabricated. Someone else is going to have to handle this."

"By someone do you mean me?" I inquired.

"No, I mean someone that wears a green hood that definitely is not you." She replied. "But that someone would have to act quickly because I'm pretty sure that they're going to strike again. These people are never satisfied. It's like they're addicted to the thrill of breaking the law."

"Do you think that of me?" I asked her.

"No, I think that you sometimes have to break the law to do what's right, but I don't think that killing henchmen is good either." She replied.

"Do you think that you could use this information to at least get a warrant?" I responded.

"Unlike a TV show, I would have to wait at least a few days to get a warrant and someone else could already be dead by then. As much as I want to follow the law, I have to let someone else handle it. I think you should look at these routes because something might happen tonight." She said.

I headed back to the lair to immediately get changed. I wished that I had time to get Thea, but if I was saving a life, I didn't have time to wait. I just hoped that I would be able to guess correctly.

Fortunately, I was. I found the attackers right as they were about to hit the armored car. I even took what Scarlett said to heart and aimed my bow specifically not to kill the gunman. When I was fired upon, I used a trashcan lid to block the smoke bomb. I assumed that they weren't using grenades because they didn't want to cause an explosion.

The following night, I headed to Thea's birthday party. It had been a while since I had been to a teen party because I was not expecting to see glow sticks. It looked kind of like a rave. I just hoped that there wouldn't be any illegal drugs around the house.

"Oh my God. I love you so much." Thea before she gave me a hug.

"I see you got my present." I replied.

"You know this party is kind of perfect. Well it would be perfect if my dad and Ollie were here." She replied.

"Well I know that both of them would say that you're beautiful." I stated. "Listen, as much as I want to stay here all night, I may have to leave at some point."

"Why?" She questioned.

"Because I found out that I was right. The security company is robbing the armored cars." I explained. "They might go after another one tonight. Will you be okay if I leave?"

"You could take me with you." She suggested.

"I can't take you away from your own birthday party." I replied. At that point, Diggle walked over to us.

"So I heard that the Hood foiled an armored car robbery." He said.

"Well it wasn't Gaynor with the rocket launcher." I stated. I wasn't surprised. The men running things never went out because they could say that they were innocent.

"I was with him the whole time." He replied. "If someone from Blackhawk was involved, I'd put my money on Knox. He started right before the heists began and he has military training. I'll check on this. You two enjoy this party. You need to let loose for a change."

We then came across some of her friends.

"Hey, thank you for coming. This is Sara." Thea introduced.

"We got you something. It's called Vertigo. It's supposed to make you all floaty." Her friend declared.

"Thanks, but I don't do that anymore." Thea replied.

"This is a special occasion. You need to lighten up. Maybe you could share it with Blondie here." The girl persisted.

"I said I don't want it." Thea stated. "Now get that stuff out of my house."

The two of us then went into the kitchen.

"I'm really starting to think that you need different friends." I declared before I looked around the room. "Did you really invite her to this party?"

"She's still a friend." Thea declared.

"I'm sorry if all I can think about when I see is her on top of you." I replied. "I never thought I'd say this, but I think that I am too old for this party and I have some crooks to stop tonight."

"You said that you were going to let John handle it." She said.

"Yeah, but I don't trust his judgment, so I bugged him." I replied. "I'm going to listen in on that."

I listened in and I found out that I was right. Gaynor was behind it and he was trying to convince Diggle to join him. Fortunately, Diggle refused. However, I found that they kidnapped Carly. I knew there was a reason why that bastard was on the list. Well it looked like my mission was going to turn into a rescue mission. This was a time when I could really use a sidekick. I took my phone and called Thea.

"What?" She asked.

"Are you still at home?" I replied. I didn't hear any loud music in the background.

"No, I'm on my way to the store. I needed to get away because I saw my with Tommy's dad again." She said.

"Well how about you come and help me. Gaynor has kidnapped Carly and I could use some help rescuing her." I explained.

"Just tell me where to go." She replied.

I knew what I had to do. I had focus on saving Carly first. I hoped that Thea would be there in time but I didn't have to time to wait if she wasn't. I got there and I saw Diggle with the grenade launcher in his hand. I had to make sure not to hurt him. As it turned out, I didn't have to. He didn't shoot at the truck and even let it get away. Come to think of it, I couldn't help but wonder how stupid it was for Gaynor to give him the grenade launcher. I mean who would give the guy most likely to betray you the deadliest weapon? It wasn't smart. I then noticed that Knox was trying to make a shot at Diggle and attacked. I began to spar with him. I still had no idea where Thea was. I hoped that she had just gotten lost and something bad hadn't happened.

I found Diggle and Gaynor. I could see that Diggle couldn't kill him, so I fired an arrow at him before he could fire at Diggle and it him in the chest.

"You're late." Diggle declared.

"You knew I was coming?" I asked. How could he know that I was coming?

"Never time you try to bug someone, be more subtle." He told me. "I wish that you trusted me though."

"I did trust you, but I told you that he was on the list for a reason." I pointed out. "I'm sorry."

At that point, I got a phone call. Thea was in the hospital. She had been in a car crash. Her mom and I went to her room and found her awake and aware."

"Thea, are you okay?" Mrs. Queen asked.

"I'm fine. How's the car?" She questioned.

"The car isn't important right now." I explained.

"Do you remember what happened?" Her mother asked.

"Just go away. I'm fine, so you can leave." Thea told her. The woman then left the room.

"So, what happened?" I questioned.

"I don't know. I just felt kind of lightheaded suddenly and lost control." She replied. "But all I had to drink was soda."

I then went out to the hallway and I saw Scarlett was there.

"Thanks for calling me." I said.

"Well I just got a call from my captain. Why did you kill Gaynor?" She asked.

"He was going to kill my friend. Can you tell me that you wouldn't do the same thing?" I replied.

"Okay, I probably would have." She admitted. "And you did save four men's lives."

"Come back to the club with me." I suggested.

Once we got there, I stripped her and took her into the lair.

"Where did you get this technology?" She asked.

"I spent a little bit extra on it." I replied. "But right now, I don't want to talk about that."

I then took my clothes off and the rest of hers. I couldn't believe how amazing it felt.

"Hey, I love you." I replied.

In the morning, I was taking Thea home from the hospital. I had told her about her father.

"So, I don't know what's going between them, but I think it's something other than an affair." I stated.

"I know that they're together or at least they have been before." She replied.

At that point, I saw my dad.

"Dad, what are you doing here?" I asked.

"Thea, I need you to come with me." He replied. "Your blood test showed that you tested positive for Vertigo."

"But I didn't take anything." Thea argued.

"You have the right to remain silent." He said as he cuffed her. "Anything you say can and will be used against you. You have a right to an attorney."

I then watched as he took her away.

So Thea got drugged, but things are going to be different. Also Scarlett and Sara had sex. She also might be joining the team soon. Please don't forget to review.


	11. Vertigo

That night, I was after something. I knew that I needed to help Thea on both fronts. I was definitely going to do whatever I could to try to help her legally, but I also knew that I had to go after the person responsible. Now I couldn't go after the person who drugged her because The Vigilante attacking teenagers just seemed wrong. Plus, I didn't want to make it seem personal. Instead, I was going to find out who made vertigo and get them off of the streets by whatever means necessary, especially after the research that showed how deadly it was.

I finally caught up to the dealer and an arrow through his jacket, pinning him to the overhang he was on.

"Come on. I'm just trying to make an honest living." He stated.

"There's nothing honest about what you do." I argued. "Who gives you vertigo. If tell me, you get to live another day."

"Please, he'll kill me." He begged.

"Whoever you're afraid of, be more afraid of me." I declared as I drew my bow.

"Okay, they call him The Count. I don't know who he is or where he is. Please don't kill me." He declared.

I then radioed Scarlett with the news.

"Let me guess, you have another one." She said.

"This one finally gave me a name." I told her. "He calls himself The Count."

"Doesn't he know that's the name of a Muppet?" She asked. "So what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to find him. This man is responsible for numerous deaths and he needs to pay for it." I explained.

"Well don't kill him. He needs to get justice for his crimes." She pointed out. "Also, you need to get some sleep. Thea's hearing is in the morning."

"Do you believe me when I tell you she says she was drugged?" I asked.

"Whether or not I believe it is irrelevant." She said. "It's not something that's easy to prove without a confession."

"But do you believe it?" I repeated.

"I think you believe it and I want to believe in her as much as you do." She answered. "I probably do, but it doesn't matter."

In the morning, I went to Thea's room. I knew I had to help her, but I had only been in a courtroom once before and her case wasn't as easy to get out of.

"Hey, judges don't like it if you're late." I told her.

"Do you have any tips?" She asked.

"Don't speak unless someone directly asks you a question." I responded. "Hey, you have the best lawyer in the city defending you. If anyone can get you out of this, she can."

"Can't you get Shelley to confess to drugging me?" She questioned.

"I could, but I won't because it feels so wrong. I can't bring myself to attack a teenager unless they are the type of threat that warrants it." I explained. "This is your first real offense, so maybe they'll go easy on you."

"I wish my dad or Ollie was here." She admitted.

"I'm here." I assured her.

"We should leave now." Mrs. Queen interrupted.

As soon as we got there, she was hounded by reporters. I decided to grab her hand. It felt so good when her hand touched mine.

We headed inside, and the judge began to speak.

"We are here for The People vs. Thea Dearden Queen." He said. "How do you plea?"

"Not guilty, Your Honor." Laurel declared. "DUI is listed as knowingly driving under the influence of a control substance. My client was given the drug against her knowledge."

"Miss Queen, did you crash the car immediately when you started to feel disoriented?" He asked.

"No, Your Honor." She admitted.

"Then you knowingly continued driving while you were impaired." He pointed out. "This drug has been causing problems for us for some time. Miss Queen, like it or not, you are now the poster child for this menace that is vertigo. Maybe if people see that the Queen family can't get away with using vertigo, they won't think that they can either. This case will now proceed to trial. Court adjourned."

Well I knew that was not what we wanted. It sort of did make me want to find out where Shelley was because I might have to get her to confess.

"That cannot send my daughter to prison." Mrs. Queen seethed.

"He can, but he won't." Laurel promised. "I will do everything in my power to prevent it. I'm going to work on an appeal."

She then left the room.

"Thea. we will handle this." Her mom promised.

"Like you promised to always stay faithful to Dad and Walter." Thea replied. "Something about your promises doesn't make me feel better."

Thea then walked out.

"That judge wants someone to make an example of." Mrs. Queen stated. "Why does it have to be her?"

"Maybe it doesn't." I replied. It was a longshot but maybe if I could capture The Count, they would take it easy on Thea.

I then went to the precinct and gave a brief explanation of what happened.

"So, do you think that if maybe the judge had someone else to make an example of, he would go easy on Thea?" I asked

"Possibly, but it won't be this girl who drugged her." Scarlett explained. "She's not nearly as big a name as Thea."

"I can't help but wonder if this is my fault." I declared. "I asked her to come to me that night. Also, I was talking about The Count."

"Yes, if you find Thea would probably get off with a significantly lesser sentence." She admitted. "But we would have to find him and capture him probably before the trial even begins. Also, he would have to be alive. There's little chance that the police will be able to catch him."

"So means that I'm going to have to." I replied. "I promise I won't kill him."

"You know it's great that you're doing this for Thea. Should I be jealous?" She asked. I glared at her. "Sorry. Bad joke."

"Do you think you have any pull with him?" I questioned.

"Sara, he's my uncle. I can't be involved in this case at all. I could get in a lot of trouble." She replied. She was also keeping my secret identity and she could also get in a lot of trouble for that, but I understood her point. I didn't want her to do anything that could affect her job. It wouldn't be fair to her.

I knew that if I had any chance to find The Count, I would dig into some of my darkest connections. I couldn't take Thea because she was under house arrest, so I had my bodyguard by my side.

"You know I'd probably rather be in Afghanistan then a plan run by the Soviets." He remarked as we walked into the garage.

"This is the hidden headquarters of the Bratva." I declared. "Diggle, please just go with whatever I say. These men are very, very dangerous."

"It's been a long time, particularly for a Bratva captain." Alexi told me,

"I've been a bit busy lately. I need your help with something. I'm looking for an individual known as The Count. Have you heard of him at all?"

"He is a difficult man. He does not like new friends." He explained. "I will what I can find on him, but I first need a favor from you. It is unusual for an American woman to hold such a position of esteem in our organization. Anatoli speaks very highly of you."

"He should. I saved his life." I explained. At that point, they brought out a man who was struggling and frightened. "What did he do?"

"Something that I told him not to.' The Russian declared. "For a favor for me, kill this man. Then I will believe your interest in our organization, and I will arrange a meeting with The Count for you."

"Sara…" Diggle replied.

"Shut up." I replied as I begun to choke the man. I knew a trick that would make them think that I killed him. There was a reason that I wasn't going to use the gun. I then took him out to the car with s.

"I can't believe that you did that." Diggle told me.

"I didn't." I replied as the man woke up. I then punched him out.

"Whoa, that's a neat trick. Can you teach me that sometime?" He asked.

"No." I answered. "I need you to arrange a new identity for this man."

"So, you're going to take this meeting to catch this guy." Diggle responded as I closed the trunk.

"No, then the Bratva will know that I manipulated them It's for that same reason that I can't tell the police about it." I explained. "I'm going to the meeting as myself and then I'm going to follow him back to his hideout and get him there."

The following day, Laurel came over. She said that she had an idea.

"So, I have an idea. I think I may be able to get the judge to back away from his stance. I may be able to get the judge to give you community service and probation as long as someone is watching over you." She explained. "I think you could help out at the office."

"I have a different idea." I replied. "She could work for me."

"Sara, working in a nightclub doesn't exactly count as community service." Laurel pointed out.

"But entertainment does." I argued. I then noticed shocked looked on their faces. "Get your minds out of the gutter. I was talking about singing. Thea has an amazing voice and she could be a performer."

"I could try it, but we go with my idea if it doesn't work." Laurel replied before she left.

"How do you know that I can sing?" Thea asked.

"I've heard you in the shower a few times." I admitted. "Thea, this will make it a lot easier for us to hang out together. It's the best that I can do. It gives us a backup plan in case I can't catch The Count in time."

"You know part of me wants to just reject the deal and go to jail to spite my mom." She admitted.

"Thea, that would be incredibly stupid." I pointed out.

"I'm not going to do it." She told me. "I just hate her so much for betraying Walter. Part of me thinks that she's part of the reason why he's missing."

Was it possible yes? Robert Queen was secretly a bad person, so it was feasible that his wife was as well. I didn't know exactly what he was guilty of, but I assumed that they were some pretty bad things, but there still wasn't any evidence that Moira had done anything to directly lead to Walter's disappearance. Plus, she didn't have any motivation. If she wanted to be CEO of a company that she already owned, she could have probably just asked him. He seemed like the kind of person that would let her do that if she wanted to.

"Thea, we don't have any proof of that or any reason for why, especially since we can't prove anything happened between her and Tommy's dad." I pointed out.

"Sara, the Russians called. They want to meet tonight." Diggle interrupted.

That night, Diggle and I were with Alexi and his associate as we waited for him to show up.

"Do you know why they call him The Count?" Alexi asked. "When he was developing his drug, he experimented on the homeless. When the police found their bodies, they had puncture marks on their necks like they had been bitten by a vampire. You should not be in such a hurry to meet this man."

At that time, a car pulled up a man with slick black hair came out. He first had his man pat us down. I wanted to punch them because I was pretty sure that they were using it as an excuse to feel me up, but I had to keep my composure.

"So, Sara Lance. Does your father know of your interest in the feel good business?" He asked.

"No." I replied. "Do you honestly think he would be dumb enough to use his own daughter as a mole?"

"Well why are you interested?" He inquired.

"I am opening a nightclub and I would like to give my customers a little something extra." I lied.

"You know a good wine is judged by the number of years it's had to ferment." He stated. "Vertigo is measured in lives. 56 people died to perfect this high. Believe me when I say, they did not die for nothing.

Okay, this guy was a clear psychopath. Even someone like Lawton killed for money or the Bratva killed for power. This guy just seemed to like killing people. He reminded me of a man that I had only read about, the worst villain in the country: The Joker. I didn't think anyone could be that bad.

However, before I could get the drug, my father showed up.

A shootout started, but I followed after The Count.

"No witnesses." He declared before he stabbed me with a needle. I pulled it out and immediately, my vision got blurry.

"Sara, are you okay?" Diggle asked. He took me back to the lair. I felt like my body was in excruciating pain. He went into my trunk and started to mix the herbs together. I seriously hoped that it would work. I was pretty sure that I was hallucinating because I attacked him. I then screamed as I passed out.

When I came to, I found out that he wasn't the only one in the room. I couldn't help but wonder what she was doing there, but I then remembered that I had told her the combination.

"What the were hell were you doing?" Scarlett asked angrily.

"I was trying to find The Count and follow him back to his lair, so I could stop him." I explained. "God, I feel like I have the worst hangover of my life."

"That's got a be a lot coming from someone who spent a majority of her late teens wasted." Diggle quipped.

I then realized that I was handcuffed to the table.

"Seriously? I'm not going to kill either of you." I replied.

"I'm surprised that you can stand." Diggle replied. "He only got you with half a dose, but you still took it really hard."

"I take it your friends didn't catch him." I said to Scarlett.

"Nope." She confirmed. "But your father is pissed."

"Well tell him that I was trying to find The Count, so I could pass the information along to you. I was wondering if maybe you could give this sample to your narcotics division to analyze and we could find out what is really in vertigo, so maybe we'll have some way to find out where he is." I explained.

"I can do better. I'm going to analyze this myself." She said. "But once I figure out where this stuff came from, I'm going to send a unit there. You need to make sure that you don't get caught."

At that time, I got a call from Thea.

"Did you catch that guy?" She asked.

"No." I realized. I still felt kind of woozy. I knew that I would need to soon. I might even have to go in the daylight if that was my best shot.

"Well I'm going to take the deal. We'll see if the judge approves me working at your club. If he does, I hope that I don't stage fright." She said.

"You won't and I know you'll be great." I promised her. "I don't think that I can come to the courtroom. I'm not feeling good right now."

"Give a few hours. I'll send what I find to you. I'll even give you an hour head start before I send SCPD to pick it up. Please tell me that you can stop him in that time."

"I hope I can." I told her.

I didn't want to admit it, but I was still feeling the effects of the drug. My vision was still blurred Being on it now made me glad that I never really got into the hard stuff when I was younger. I could not imagine what it would be like to actually drive while under the effects of this stuff. Thea must have been so scared. I was going to take him down for the both of us. I knew that I should kill him, but Scarlett was right. He needed to see justice.

Later, I was still in the lair after she left. She emailed me a map of where the water in the sample came from.

"So, looks like your girl came through. The water in the sample is from an area within a ten-block radius of where the Glades meets the bay. There's nothing but an old juvenile detention center that closed down two years ago." Diggle explained. I then grabbed my hood. "But you can't go out there. You're still suffering from the aftereffects of the vertigo. You're not at the top of your game."

"Well I have to stop him." I replied. "I'm the only one who can. Do you honestly think that the police will be able to stop him. Not to mention, any number of officers could get dosed with this stuff. John, please let me go. I know I can do this."

"This is definitely a situation where you could use Thea for backup." He told me.

"But she can't go out right now. I have to do by myself and I know that I can do this by myself, so let me do this by myself." I told him.

"If you hit this, you can leave." He said as he held up a tennis ball near his head. I drew my bow before I put it down.

"You need to remember one thing, John. I don't need my bow." I stated.

I headed to his lair and started to beat up his minions as I went inside. I saw the guy that had touched my boobs and gave him a kick to the face. Walking and balance still weren't easy, but I was able to still fight off low-level thugs, even when two were coming at me at the same time.

When I found The Count, I found out that some of his men had guns. It still wasn't a problem because I was able to dodge the bullets. I still was able to throw an arrow if I couldn't shoot one. I then found myself face-to-face with him. He was holding a gun.

"You should have stuck to your depraved elite. I am merely providing a public service." He stated.

"So am I." I replied as I threw an arrow at him. He dodged it. We then started to fight hand-to-hand which I knew that I was better at. I grabbed the syringe that he planned on injecting me with and stuck it into him instead before injecting him. "Enjoy the fruits of your labor."

At that point, my father once again came into the room. I knew I had to make a break for it fast. I couldn't even talk to him. I threw The Count at him and ran out as fast as I could. It was faster than I thought I could. It was probably because if he saw me, he'd probably be able to tell who I was.

The following day, Thea and I went to the club together. They were going to let her help open the club and count it towards the community service.

"So. you probably have the record for shortest time with your driver's license." I quipped.

"You know you didn't have to take down an entire drug empire for me." She said.

"But it's more fun that way." I replied. "So, this is going to work out great for us."

"Well we got the Count. We got him for pretty much every crime there is." Scarlett said as she walked in. So, how much longer till you open this place?"

"Wait, since when does she know about this stuff?" Thea asked.

"It's a complicated story." I explained.

So, I changed it so Thea will be legally working for Sara. I was also surprised that they didn't have Laurel represent her in the episode. Also, Scarlett is definitely an asset to the team. Please don't forget to review.


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